2023-11-05 13:35:52
After the severe earthquake in Nepal that left at least 157 dead, the search for survivors was stopped on Sunday. The authorities announced that search and rescue operations were ended 36 hours following the tremors in the Himalayan state. Aid is now focused on supporting survivors who are in need of food and shelter.
In remote western regions of the country, the earthquake on Friday caused countless houses, mostly made of clay, to collapse. Since then, many survivors have spent the nights in the open air.
Several people died in Nalgad village alone in the worst-hit Jajarkot district. Mahesh Chanare, 34, was preparing for his father-in-law’s funeral there on Sunday. The other family members survived, he said. “But the houses have buried everything and there is hardly anything to eat.” He added: “No aid has reached us. People urgently need food and tents.”
According to authorities, a total of 105 people died in the Jajarkot district and 52 more in the neighboring Rukum district. More than 100 people were also injured there. “We are in contact with all regions and rescue operations have ended,” said local police spokesman Gopal Chandra Bhattarai. However, the emergency services are still on alert because there are remote regions from which there is hardly any information. According to the authorities, the first aid deliveries have been made, but all regions need to be reached.
According to the Nepalese police, 910 houses were completely destroyed and 2,861 were partially destroyed. “Many houses were traditionally built – made of stone and mud,” said Sete Giri, a village representative in Jajarkot. “That might be the reason for the damage.” According to the village representative, many people who otherwise regularly worked as migrant workers in the richer neighboring country of India are currently in their homeland for important Hindu holidays such as the upcoming Diwali festival of lights. .” The Nepalese government decided on Saturday to pay 200,000 rupees (around 1,400 euros) each to families who lost a member.
The violent earthquake on Friday might even be felt in the Indian capital New Delhi, around 500 kilometers away. Several hours later there was an followingshock of magnitude 4.0, according to the US Earthquake Monitoring Service (USGS). This registered the main earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6. The Nepalese earthquake monitoring station NEMRC, however, spoke of a magnitude of 6.4.
Nepal is frequently hit by earthquakes. The country lies at a point where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, creating the Himalayan Mountains. In November 2022, six people died in a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Doti district, which borders the now hit Jajarkot district.
In 2015, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 killed almost 9,000 people and injured more than 22,000 people. Numerous historically and culturally significant buildings were severely damaged at the time – including in the Kathmandu Valley, which is popular with tourists.
( SERVICE – appeals for donations from Austria:
– Youth One World donation account: AT663600000000024000 – Purpose: Earthquake relief Nepal; Online: ww.jugendeinewelt.at/spenden
– Caritas: AT232011100001234560 – Password: Disaster Fund; www.caritas.at/spenden-helfen/auslandshilfe/katastrophenhilfe )
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