Advertisement

Nepal Quake Victims Despair As Death Toll Rises

The number of people killed by Nepal's devastating earthquake has risen to 3,617, as thousands of sick and wounded spent a second night in the open.

Police revealed the increased death toll and admitted authorities were "overwhelmed" by the scale of the disaster, which also left at least 6,538 hurt.

Thousands of people in capital Kathmandu spent the night huddled under tents and sought scarce food and medical supplies as officials struggled to care for the injured and homeless.

Many were unable to find beds in the devastated city's hospitals, with surgeons setting up an operating theatre inside a tent in the grounds of Kathmandu Medical College.

"We are overwhelmed with rescue and assistance requests from all across the country," said Deepak Panda, a member of the country's disaster management.

Mass cremations are continuing in the capital, where people queued for water dispensed from the back of trucks and those shops still open had next to nothing on their shelves.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has said she is "shocked to hear of the appalling loss of life and injuries", adding that her "thoughts and prayers are with the victims".

Sky Producer Neville Lazarus, speaking from Kathmandu Airport, said there is growing anger among Nepalese people over a lack of government aid.

He said: "I've seen loads of Western trekkers and travellers to the country - because of the trekking season in Nepal. They are camping out on the lawn outside the airport.

"A lot of them have said their hotels have been closed down and they don't want to stay under any structure and it's better to take their chances and camp out.

"There are no facilities at the airport or any other government organised facilities around the city.

"There is a picture of anger growing among the Nepalese people as well because there is no sanitation, there's no water, there's no clean drinking water, there are no facilities for cooking food."

Meanwhile, hundreds of foreign and Nepalese climbers remained trapped in the Himalayas after a huge avalanche triggered by the quake ripped through a base camp for climbers.

Footage has emerged of the moment the avalanche hit, sending mountaineers scrambling for cover and killing 18 people.

Up to 70% of houses in rural areas have reportedly been destroyed close to the 7.8-magnitude earthquake's epicentre in Gorkha.

It is Nepal's most deadly disaster of its kind since 1934, when 8,500 died. Another 66 were killed across the border in India and at least another 20 in Tibet.

Several countries rushed to send aid and rescue workers. India flew in medical supplies and members of its National Disaster Response Force and China sent a 60-strong emergency team.

Britain, which believes several hundred of its nationals are in Nepal, said it was delivering supplies, medics and search-and-rescue teams.

Pakistan's army said it was sending four C-130 aircraft with a 30-bed hospital, search and rescue teams and relief supplies.

A Pentagon spokesman said a US military aircraft with 70 personnel was due in Kathmandu on Monday and Australia said it was sending a specialist urban search-and-rescue team.

:: You can watch a special programme about the Nepal Earthquake on Sky News - on Sky channel 501, Virgin 602, Freesat 202 and Freeview 132 - at 2.30pm, 4.30pm and 8.30pm and across digital platforms.