Nearly 5,600 People Die in Nepal Earthquake: UN Agency

United Nations (PNA/Xinhua) — The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday that the death toll of Nepal earthquake stands at nearly 5,600 people, according to a spokesman for UN Secretary General.

The OCHA cited Nepal government sources saying that more than 11,100 people have been injured, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said at a daily news briefing here.

More than 130,000 houses have reportedly been destroyed and nearly 86,000 partially damaged. Some 24,000 people are currently living in 13 camps across Kathmandu, Haq said.

Last week, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake — the country’s biggest in 80 years — shook Nepal, killing thousands while limiting access to food and leaving some 3.5 million in need of food assistance. Millions of people across the country’s Western and Central Regions are affected by the disaster, including its largest cities, Katmandu and Pokhara.

OCHA reported that inaccessibility to some remote areas, the lack of helicopters, poor communication and security concerns remain the main challenges in delivering relief, said Haq.

“In the past 48 hours, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has delivered nearly 30 metric tonnes of supplies, including tents, water purification tablets, and first aid and hygiene kits. This is part of UNICEF’s efforts to reach at least 1.7 million children in the areas hardest hit by the earthquake,” said Haq.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stepped up its efforts to deliver medical relief to people living outside the Kathmandu valley, with a major focus on reaching the injured and preventing outbreaks of disease.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is concerned about the impact of the earthquake on farmers, noting that those who miss the planting season expected to start later in May will be unable to harvest rice, which is Nepal’s staple food, until late 2016, said Haq.

This, together with likely losses of food stocks and wheat and maize harvests, would severely limit food supplies and incomes in Nepal, where around two-thirds of people rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, said Haq. (PNA/Xinhua) LAM/RCG