Nepal earthquake: rescue operations end, death toll reaches 157 as blocked roads, landslides hamper aid
- While rescuers were scrambling to rush aid, operations were hampered by the fact that many of the mountainous villages could only be reached by foot
- The death toll was expected to rise as communications were still cut off in many places, authorities said
Search and rescue efforts after an earthquake in Nepal wrapped up on Sunday as the focus shifted to providing relief to survivors awaiting food and shelter, officials said 36 hours after the disaster struck.
Survivors of the quake that shook Nepal’s northwest in the middle of the night described sudden shaking followed by houses collapsing and burying entire families, as the death toll rose to 157 on Saturday.
Sobbing relatives of victims cremated their loved ones on Sunday. Surrounding about 10 bodies shrouded in white cloth in a tarpaulin tent, relatives prepared garlands of marigolds for the Hindu cremation rites held on the banks of the Bheri River.
Most of those killed were crushed by debris when their houses – usually made by stacking rocks and logs – crumbled under the force of the quake midnight on Friday, local media reported.
While rescuers were scrambling to rush aid, operations were hampered by the fact that many of the mountainous villages could only be reached by foot. Roads were also blocked by landslides triggered by the earthquake. Soldiers could be seen trying to clear the blocked roads.
The government is trying to get as much aid to the affected areas, Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said on Saturday. Tents, food and medicine were flown in as thousands became homeless overnight.