Death toll exceeds 7,000 as Nepal says no chance of more survivors

The death toll in Nepal’s devastating earthquake on Sunday jumped to 7,040 with another 14,123 people injured, according to the Nepalese police.

National police officer Babu Kanji Giri said the death toll had reached 7,040 as more bodies are found in the debris.

At least 38 Indians were among 54 foreigners killed in the 7.9-magnitude quake last week that left a trail of devastation and suffering. Around 48 foreigners, including 10 Indians, were injured and 82 foreign nationals were missing, according to the police.

Nepal’s remote mountainous areas have suffered “almost total devastation” from the powerful quake, aid agencies have warned, even as relief slowly began to reach far-flung regions amid fresh aftershocks that kept people on edge.

International humanitarian bodies have called for greater urgency in relief efforts.

There are estimates that up to 40,000 homes in Sindupalchowk alone have been destroyed, the International Federation of Red Cross said in a statement.

On Saturday, hopes of detecting more signs of life among the ruins of the capital Kathmandu have all but disappeared and the focus is shifting to reaching survivors in far-flung areas who have yet to receive relief supplies.

“It has already been one week since the disaster,” home ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal said. “We are trying our best in rescue and relief work but now, I don’t think that there is any possibility of finding survivors under the rubble.”

Meanwhile, amidst the devastation, bureaucracy at the airport is holding up vital relief supplies.

United Nations representative Jamie McGoldrick said the government must loosen customs restrictions to deal with the increasing flow of relief material and avoid bottlenecks. Material is piling up at the Kathmandu airport instead of being ferried out to victims.

“They should not be using peacetime customs methodology,” he said.

Nepal exempted tarpaulins and tents from import taxes but Dhakal said all goods coming in from overseas have to be inspected. “This is something we need to do,” he said.

-- With inputs from Agencies