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Nepal Quake Homeless Spend Second Night In Open

People left homeless by the Nepal earthquake are spending a second night out in the open after the devastating tremor killed at least 2,500.

Mass cremations have been taking place all day as those left alive struggle to cope with the number who lost their lives.

The official death toll in the capital Kathmandu rose to 1,152 people but hundreds more are known to have died across the rest of the country after the 7.8 magnitude quake struck on Saturday.

The Kathmandu Post reported that up to 70% of houses in rural areas have been destroyed close to the epicentre in Gorkha.

Further fatalities were reported in India, Bangladesh and Tibet but there are fears the death toll will rise much further as rescue teams reach isolated areas.

On Sunday, a series of aftershocks - one of 6.7 - sent frightened residents in the devastated Kathmandu Valley running for open ground once again.

Rescue teams were forced to briefly pause, halting their frantic search for survivors among the rubble of flattened houses and temples across the country.

"Massive aftershock. A wall of a old house next to mine has collapsed now. Kathmandu is in shock again. People on streets," one witness tweeted.

As the new tremor began Oxfam country director in Nepal Cecilia Keizer was forced to stop a live Sky News interview to run outside.

The aftershock also triggered fresh avalanches on Mount Everest, where at least 17 climbers were killed on Saturday – the worst-ever loss of life on the mountain.

Sky's Neville Lazarus, who is in Kathmandu, said the mood on the street was becoming more tense as people become increasingly desperate for food and drinking water.

He said a large number of people are spending the night on pavements and in open ground around the Nepali capital in fear of further aftershocks.

The UK's Department for International Development announced it was increasing the amount of emergency aid it is donating to £5m while the EU pledged €3m (£2.14m) and the US has also given $1m (£0.65m).

Two RAF planes will fly reinforcements and supplies to the region on Monday.

Sky News Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said: "The C17 and C130 aircraft perform different roles, and both will be of great value to the relief effort.

"I'd expect the big C17 to ferry aid between the big warehouses owned by the likes of DFID and Oxfam in Dubai, to Katmandu. It can carry large items like JCBs and tractors.

"The smaller C130, better known as a 'Hercules', can then ferry the aid around Nepal. A number of countries will most probably fly C130s to Katmandu. They are extremely versatile and can land on short, damaged runways in remote locations.

"The 65 or so British Army Gurkhas based in Katmandu are also now helping on the streets of the Nepalese capital."

Pictures from the Kathmandu Valley showed a number of UNESCO protected temples which have collapsed.

Meanwhile, overflowing hospitals are struggling to cope, with doctors forced to treat many patients outdoors and medical supplies running low.

With the Nepalese government facing growing criticism over its response, international teams are stepping in to search and provide food and shelter to the homeless.

The UK has already deployed an eight-strong team to provide urgent humanitarian support and other countries, including India and Japan, are sending teams of emergency workers.

The quake, which hit about 50 miles (80km) east of the country's second city Pokhara, was Nepal's worst for 81 years and was particularly devastating as it occurred at a shallow depth of just seven miles.

Tremors were felt as far away as Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Friends and families of the missing have been using Facebook and Google’s post-disaster search tool, Person Finder, to appeal for information.

:: The Foreign Office has advised that any British Nationals in need of consular assistance call +44 (0) 207 008 0000 or text NEPAL to +447860010026.