U.N. seeks $415M in aid as Nepalese quake death toll continues to rise

On an otherwise dreary day, this quake-hit nation got a rare bit of good news — a teenager was rescued after being buried under rubble for five days. Crowds cheered as the 18-year-old, identified by police as Pemba Tamang, was pulled out of the wreckage, dazed and dusty, and carried away on a stretcher. The death toll in Nepal from a massive weekend earthquake has risen to nearly 5,500, according to a new tally by disaster management officials. The United Nations appealed for $415 million for the devastated Himalayan nation. A total of 5,489 people are now known to have died in the 7.8-magnitude quake, according to an update from the National Emergency Operation Center, while more than 100 others were killed in neighboring India and China.

Where are they? Our government is totally absent. Forget shelter, they couldn’t even give us water.

Rajana, an earthquake survivor

There was also desperation in the devastated rural areas. People have been pleading to be airlifted out when the occasional helicopter has reached their villages with relief supplies. The United Nations estimates that 8 million people have been affected, with at least 2 million in need of tents, water, food and medicine over the next three months. The U.N. pleaded for millions more in aid, saying that around 70,000 houses had been destroyed and another 530,000 damaged. One estimate has put the cost of reconstruction at $5 billion.

Over 200,000 people are homeless. We’ve been told that materials are on their way, but we haven’t received them yet.

Chief District Officer Prem Lal Lamichhane

World Nepal