Swathes of Kathmandu still to be cleared after earthquake

As the death toll in the Nepalese earthquake passed 6,200 yesterday, rescue work was still continuing in downtown Kathmandu, nearly one week after the 7.8-magnitude quake struck the Himalayan nation.

There are still swathes of the capital which have not been cleared, with piles of rubble being cleared by diggers and more bodies being found, and precariously leaning homes and office buildings forcing people to remain in their tents in public spaces.

Many Nepalese feel that more needs to be done to help the families of those lost in the quake. While Nepalese armed police are a heavy presence at these digs, international aid groups are also much in evidence.

The government said 6,204 people are known to have died in the quake and 13,932 were injured. But the fate of thousands more in many remote areas remains unknown and the government has warned that the death toll could rise to more than 10,000.

This is combined with rumours of bodies still buried in guesthouses, and speculation that more earthquakes are imminent. Also there are fears that the impending rainy season could cause major problems.

Funeral rites

Unclaimed bodies still being recovered are being immediately cremated, the government has said, as the scale of death makes observing traditional funeral rites difficult.

With this kind of emergency relief still going on, the need to start addressing the longer-term issue has yet to be discussed.

The United Nations says eight million people were affected, with at least two million in need of tents, water, food and medicines over the next three months.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan said that all 170 Irish citizens in the region had been accounted for, after the emergency consular response team made contact with the final Irish citizen who was outstanding on their list late on Thursday.

"The consular division of my department and our embassy in New Delhi remain in ongoing contact with a number of people who have yet to leave Nepal, and will continue to assist those citizens and families who require additional support," the Minister said.

Mr Flanagan said Ireland’s initial funding of €1 million would provide life-saving help to those displaced, and that Irish Aid officials would continue to monitor the situation.

A key problem appears to be the shortage of helicopters. China has promised more, but the Nepalese government has made a wider request for more aircraft. There are some 20 helicopters operating in districts such as Sindhupalchok, Dolakha, Dhading and Gorkha, but more are needed to keep the aid moving.

Epicentre

Some of the worst-affected villages in Gorkha, the site of the quake’s epicentre, are difficult to reach by jeep, but a lack of sufficient space to land helicopters means that delivering aid by air is also a challenge.

Home ministry official Laxmi Prasad Dhakal said that, even though the 1934 quake was more powerful, there were fewer people living in the Kathmandu valley then.

“The scale of reconstruction will be unprecedented,” Mr Dhakal said. “We have still not even been able to assess the damage in remote areas, which have been completely devastated.”

Aid workers are reaching communities in remote areas, but many roads are impassable because of landslides, especially in the northern Himalayan region. And with the rainy season looming in coming weeks, there is growing danger in these areas.

– (Additional reporting: Reuters)