Nepal earthquake: Death toll rises to 4310 – as it happened April 27

Posted on by Listify Me

04.45

The Nepal Red Cross distributing tarpaulins across Kathmandu to provide families with emergency shelter

04.25

While the earthquake shifted the earth beneath Kathmandu by as much as three metres to the south, geologists said the height of Mount Everest probably stayed the same. This is how Sandy Steacy, head of the physical sciences department at the University of Adelaide, put it:

Quote The main slip was west of Everest, the mountain was not directly above the fault plane

In addition, the dip of the fault is very shallow so three metres in a horizontal direction doesn’t mean much vertically.

04.18

The BBC is reporting that nine out of 10 Nepalese troops are involved in search and rescue operations, according to officials.

03.43

People stay on open ground from fears of earthquake tremors in Siliguri, West Bengal, India

Of course it wasn’t just Nepal that was affected by the earthquake. Familes are still sleeping out in the open in India too.

03.18

AFP has the very latest death toll. It reports that the number of dead has now reached 4,310, according to the home ministry. And a further 7,953 were injured in Saturday’s devastating earthquake.

01.41

AP has a story tonight looking at how regional powers are jokeying for position with a subtle brand of disaster politics:

OpinionIndia, the traditional power in the region, launched Operation Friendship soon after the quake Saturday. It has sent the most help so far, deploying 13 aircraft and more than 500 rescuers as well as water, food, equipment and medical supplies.

China, increasingly making inroads in Nepal through everything from infrastructure investment to increased tourism, also pledged all-out assistance within hours of the disaster. It has sent 62 rescuers plus blankets, tents and generators and announced plans to send four planes and an additional 170 soldiers.

India’s rival, Pakistan, also has sent four cargo planes full of supplies, including concrete cutters and sniffer dogs.

00.58

Rescue workers from British charity SARAID (Search and Rescue Assitance in Disasters) arrive at Kathmamdu airport in Nepal

Just some of the aid that is pouring into Nepal, where more than 4000 people have died and the UN estimates that 8m have been affected in some way – including thousands left homeless.

00.35

Susannah Ross

The family of one British woman, trapped in a remote region of Nepal, have described their frustration as they wait for more news. Relatives of Susannah Ross said they felt as though they were “drowning”. She has not been able to contact them directly but they received an SOS from another walker saying the group was trapped without food and water and in desperate need of medical assistance. Her sister Nina said they received a message saying she was stuck with 15 other trekkers.

Quote Basically they have sent the co-ordinates but said in the message that some are injured and that they don’t have any food or water and that they really need to be rescued.

They have said they need a helicopter to get out. All the roads around them are ruined and they can’t get out.

23.54

A Nepalese priest prepares the platform for a pyre for people killed in Saturday’s earthquake at the Pashupatinath temple Kathmandu

23.43

The worst thing about this? Turns out it wasn’t even the big one. The New York Times has a fascinating blog post discussing why the death toll – even if it rises considerably – will still be lower than many forecasts. It’s well worth reading the entire piece, which discusses the mechanics of earthquakes and other considerations. It quotes Susan Hough, a United States Geological Survey seismologist…

Quote Could something bigger happen in Nepal? Sure.

There’s the megathrust segment immediately west of this earthquake, which we believe last broke in 1505. It’s the usual story, though: we don’t know when. The odds of subsequent big earthquakes always go up after a major earthquake. Ironically, the most dangerous time, statistically, is always just after a major earthquake has happened. But still it’s a low probability. We quote a 1-in-20 chance that something bigger will happen within 3 days, but the odds drop quickly with each passing hour. By this time [Sunday], the odds are more like 1-in-100. And the odds of an earthquake much larger than 7.8 are much lower still. It is possible, maybe even inevitable, that both Port-au-Prince and Nepal will be hit with stronger ground motions than what they’ve seen in recent years.

23.29

23.15

23.00

The United Nations says there is an urgent need for relief materials ranging from tarpaulin sheets and clean water to soap and medicines.

Quote According to initial estimations and based on the latest earthquake intensity mapping, eight million people in 39 districts have been affected, of which over two million people live in the 11 severely affected districts.

22.15

If you want to help support the disaster response, then Quartz has assembled a useful list of organisations collecting donations to support victims.

21.29

The Telegraph’s Richard Spencer has filed a dispatch from Bhaktapur, one of three Royal Cities in the Kathmandu Valley. Here is an extract:

The overhanging tiles and red brick facings of Bhaktapur, one of Nepal’s most famous historic sites, look like toy houses, bashed randomly by a child with a plastic hammer.

A roof punched in here, a facade knocked away up the street, in all too many cases a full-on hit that brought the whole thing tumbling down despite the building next door looking untouched.

“One person died in that house. He was 57,” said Punyrambhele Kabir, 33, maths teacher at the local secondary school, indicating a house next to his own from his vantage point in Lakolachen Khalla, a picturesque old residential square. He and his family were all unharmed, as was his more solidly built home.

… The delicate brickwork of the majestic old cities, such as Bhaktapur on Kathmandu’s outskirts, proved to be as fragile as it looked.

21.19

Facebook is rolling out a donation button for contributions to victims of the earthquake, and has offered to match up to $2 million.

“People are coming together to support those affected by the earthquake that struck Nepal and impacted the populations of Nepal, India and Bangladesh,” Facebook said in a blog post.

As of Monday, users will see a message at the top of their News Feed with an option to donate to International Medical Corps, which has been operating relief units in the region.

In addition, Facebook said it had activated its “Safety Check,” a system which allows people in the disaster zone to notify friends and family if they are safe.

20.22

Prabina Mainali, feeds her newborn baby boy – not even a day old – in a make-shift tent situated in open ground from fear of earthquake tremors in Kathmandu, Nepal:


(Manish Swarup/AP)

19.49

An earthquake survivor has described how she was rescued from the path of a falling building in Bhaktapur by an aid coordinator who was recuperating from saving Ebola victims in West Africa.

Sean Casey, an emergency medical relief coordinator in Liberia, had just arrived in Nepal on holiday and was with a friend, Claire Davidson, when the earthquake struck and buildings surrounding them began to collapse.

Ms Davidson said he quickly pulled her away as rubble started landing around them.

Quote A building nearly fell on top of us and Sean saved my life. Everything was moving.

We were going around in circles not knowing which building would fall

The following day Mr Casey was coordinating emergency medical aid for the International Medical Corps and heading towards the worst-hit areas closer to the epicentre in Gorkha district.

19.33

As survivors from Everest reached hospitals in Kathmandu, one climber has told the Telegraph how he was tossed around “like a rag doll” as the avalanche flattened the base camp.

Paul Greenan, from Dublin, was just yards from Dan Fredinburg, a Google executive killed when the wall of snow and ice hit, reports Richard Spencer in Kathmandu.

“This mountain of snow just tipped over,” the 38-year-old said from his hospital bed in the Nepalese capital, where he was being treated for a dislocated elbow, six broken ribs, a broken hand, and a broken pelvis.


Paul Greenan, who was injured at Everest Base Camp, now in hospital in Katmandu (Will Wintercross/The Telegraph)

“It had built up over the last two weeks. It came towards us – we waited for it to run out of steam but instead it just engulfed us.

“I was thrown aside like a rag doll by the sheer force behind it.”

He saw Mr Fredinburg, who was one of nine climbers and three guides in his party, ten yards ahead of him. “We all got whacked by the same wave,” Mr Greenan said. “So it was just what hit you.”

18.28

Here is an animated graphic showing the frequency and magnitude of aftershocks following Saturday’s earthquake:

18.18

The US state department says it is now aware of four US citizens killed, reports Reuters.

18.10

Nepalese people make themselves warm while they stay on open ground in Kathmandu

17.58

We reported earlier that the US was to send $9 million more to Nepal, which means the country is sending a total of $10 million to the Asian nation.

John Kerry made the announcement of the increasing amount of aid as he sent his “deepest condolences” to the people of Nepal. He described the images coming out of Nepal as “gut-wrenching, [showing] extraordinary devastation”.

John Kerry (AFP)

He added: “Tragedies of this magnitude really underscore that in today’s world next-door is really everywhere.”

The US secretary of state was speaking at a joint press conference with Fumio Kishida, the Japanese foreign minister.

Tokyo itself is sending $8 million in aid.

17.34

The disaster, which is the country’s biggest in 80 years, will require a “massive” aid operation.

“This will be a… massive operation,” Elisabeth Byrs, spokesman for the UN’s World Food Programme, told AFP.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was sending additional emergency kits to meet immediate health needs.

“An additional five emergency health kits are being flown in along with surgical kits and trauma bags to meet the immediate health needs. There is an urgent need to replenish medical stocks to support the emergency response efforts,” said Poonam Khetrapal, WHO’s regional director for Southeast Asia.

In the UK, further humanitarian aid is being sent to Nepal, according to BBC’s John Kay.

17.01

The US secretary of state has announced a further $9 million (£5.91 million) in aid.

16.33

Professor David Petley, a landslide expert and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of East Anglia, said that being up in the Himalayas during the earthquake was “the worst place to be”.

“The greatest intensity of tremor is felt on the ridges and peaks,” said Professor Petley. “It’s a bit like with a tuning fork – the shaking is most intense at the top.”

He said the earthquake would “pop” rocks off the side of the mountains, and could rain them down on anyone below.

“It must have been truly horrifying to be there.”

16.26

Drone footage shows the damage done to Kathmandu by Saturday’s 7.8-scale earthquake, and subsequent aftershocks.

16.11

The death toll from Saturday’s earthquake has now risen above 4,000 people.

Nepal police said on their Facebook page late on Monday evening that 3,904 deaths had been counted in Nepal and 7,180 people were injured.

In addition, an avalanche caused by the earthquake on Saturday killed 18 people at Mount Everest’s base camp, 61 people were killed in neighbouring India, and China reported 25 people died in Tibet.

The toll is expected to rise as assessments are made in vulnerable mountain villages that have been inaccessible since the quake.

15.45

The Gurkha 200 Everest Expedition has revealed more about their ordeal on the mountain during the earthquake.

Brig Ian Rigden said the 14 members and their sherpas who had been trapped at Camp 1 had all been airlifted down to Base Camp, where they are helping recovery efforts. He said:

Quote They are all in good spirits. Base Camp is unrecognisable and there is a considerable amount of work to do to secure it, help other teams and salvage what they can. The plan now is to assist at Base Camp for the next two days, when they will be joined by our expedition doctor (a former Everest summiteer and Reservist, who was making his way to join the team for the major climb phase) who is walking in.

They will then extract themselves to Kathmandu on foot and by whatever means they can achieve. They have a very wide range of useful skills and the focus now is to assist the people of Nepal.

The team has had a significant ordeal at Camp 1, surviving the follow-on after-shock earth tremors and numerous avalanches around their immediate area. Our team has been exemplary throughout and a great credit to the Brigade.

15.21

There are unverified reports of people being turned away from overcrowded hospitals in Kathmandu:

15.09

Alex Schneider and Sam Chappatte, both 28, the British couple caught in a deadly avalanche at Mount Everest’s Camp 1, have been tweeting about the rescue operation through the day:


Alex Schneider and Sam Chappatte on Mount Everest in 2014

14.53

Almost no aid has reached Gorkha, the region that was the epicentre of Saturday’s earthquake, more than 48 hours after it struck, according to the charity World Vision.

Aid worker Matt Darvas told the AP by telephone:

Quote It does not seem aid is reaching here very quickly.

Further north from here the reports are very disturbing.

He said that up to 75 percent of the buildings in Singla may have collapsed and the village, a two-days walk away, has been out of contact since Saturday night.

He said few SUVs with foreign tourists bringing basic aid supplies had begun to reach Gorkha by early evening.

14.43

Channel 4 News has published a letter to Dan Fredinburg, the Google executive, by his friend Max Stossel which the former had taken with him during his Everest expedition.

Mr Fredinburg was killed on Saturday after the Everest avalanche during his travels with three other Google employees through Sheffield-based firm Jagged Globe when he suffered fatal head injuries.

The news organisation, with Mr Stossel’s permission, tells Mr Fredinburg: “Please return safely with stories (stories stories).

“And even if you don’t… We’ll all be horrified, saddened, and heartbroken, that we can’t create new stories with you but we’ll also know that you’ve already lived the equivalent of at least 100 lifetimes.”

The poignant letter can be read in full here.

14.24

British Army Gurkhas are preparing to fly to Nepal to help with earthquake efforts, the Telegraph understands.

Troops from the 2nd Bn Royal Gurkha Rifles based in Kent will act as liaison teams to help search and recovery efforts, Ben Farmer writes.

Around 40 troops are poised to fly, joining a standing force of 65 Gurkhas at their permanent headquarters in Nepal.

One Army source said: “They are at very short notice to move. They speak the lingo and they have everything they need, from infantry to engineers within the brigade.”

The deployment is being discussed in a Cobra meeting, with further news expected soon.

14.19

Reuters reports that tremors shook northeast India today, according to the US Geological Survey.

It said the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1, which is less severe than Saturday’s one, and occurred in the Indian state of West Bengal.

“It was just now, Everything was shaking. People began to come out of their homes,” a Reuters reporter in the north Indian city of Patna said.

14.12

Salokya, a blogger and Nepal-based journalist, has shared pictures that he says have been taken using a drone which show the extend of the devastation in Bhaktapur.

14.09

Several South Africans have been caught up in the Nepalese earthquake, including Mike Sherman and his girlfriend Kate Ahrends. The couple were travelling through the country and were in the national park in Langtang, a region to the north of Kathmandu which borders Tibet, when the earthquake struck, writes Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg.

Mr Sherman’s mother Sue said she received an email from the father of a medical volunteer informing her that her son were alive but cut off from communication.

“They were in a group of seven, but they’re completely cut off from everywhere because they are blocked by an avalanche,” she told Eyewitness News radio. “I’m not sure which village they’re in. But they have only food left for two days.”

At least 10 South Africans were trapped on Mount Everest following the avalanche generated by the earthquake, among them Saray Khumalo, a 43-year-old from Johannesburg, who was preparing to become the first black woman to climb the famous peak.

Another, Sean Wisedale, the first South African to summit the world’s seven highest peaks, wrote on his blog which he is updating from the Everest base camp that his heart “literally misses a beat” every time he hears a rumble, and that he has already seen three bodies lying frozen in the ground.

His group’s tents were protected by a rock, but they could not escape being hit by a shard of crystalised ice which fell from a height of about 100m.

Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for South Africa’s foreign office, said all South Africans in Nepal had been accounted for.

13.56

Leicester University has paid tribute to an American postgraduate student who was killed in the Base Camp avalanche.

Marisa Eve Girawong, from New Jersey in the United States, was studying mountain medicine at the university.

Dr Peter Barry, of the Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, said she was “delightful to know, a beautiful, intelligent, outgoing person who effortlessly got on with everyone.”

He said: “She had plans to continue her work in the mountains and was excited about the adventures ahead of her. This is a real loss to our community. Our thoughts are with her family and friends, and all those affected by this tragedy.”

13.30

China cancelled all spring climbs on the north face of Mount Everest, state media said on Monday, after an earthquake in neighbouring Nepal triggered a deadly avalanche elsewhere on the world’s highest mountain.

More than 400 climbers have descended to safety in Tibet since Saturday’s quake, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the regional sports bureau, AFP reports.

Climbers stranded for two days at high altitudes on the Nepalese side of the mountain have been rescued by helicopters.

Rescue teams in three helicopters were running missions to Camps One and Two following Saturday’s avalanche that killed 18 people further down the mountain at base camp.

13.14

A video claims to show some of the first people being rescued from Mount Everest following a deadly avalanche:

13.09

Amanda Holden’s sister was trekking close to Everest Base Camp when the 7.8-scale earthquake triggered avalanches on Sunday, and had a lucky escape due to her altitude sickness, the presenter said on ITV this morning.

Quote My sister is climbing Mount Everest and very luckily she is at a place that is the last camp before you get to Base Camp 1 on the south side, and there was only four of them left at that camp because my sister was suffering so badly from altitude sickness she didn’t walk up to Base Camp – which actually, potentially, might have saved her life.

I think they rushed out when the earthquake came and rushed back in because they were affected by an avalanche partly at the camp they were in … and I think they were going to make their way down this morning.

12.54

Britons who were attempting to climb Everest from within Tibet have been reported safe, writes Ben Farmer.

A small number of Britons were also attempting to climb Everest from the Tibetan side. The Foreign Office said all of these had been accounted for.

A spokesman said: “We are aware of a small number of British Mountain climbers in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. We have been informed by the Chinese authorities that all have been accounted for and are in a place of safety.”

The Gurkha Welfare Trust, which looks after former British Army veterans in Nepal, said all its staff are safe and well after the earthquake and are now checking on the welfare of the veterans.

The Trust looks after more than 6,600 former Gurkha soldiers. The earthquake struck an area which has traditionally supplied many of the Gurkhas recruits and many of the former soldiers return to remote villages after they have served.

Sadly 3 more Sherpas died in the Icefall yesterday and were evacuated by helicopter this morning. They died in a subsequent avalanche after the Earthquake. The blast took out most of the ladders in the icefall. These brave men are the unsung heroes of #Everest and ultimately lost their lives doing a job that supports their children, wives, families and community. My heart continues to weep. When will it all end? #nepalquake #Nepal #6summitschallenge #Mission14 #BeBrave #Everest2015

A photo posted by Elia Saikaly (@eliasaikaly) on Apr 27, 2015 at 4:43am PDT

12.40

The UK International Search and Rescue team had to be diverted to Delhi before travelling on to Nepal.

The 15-strong crew will provide specialised, technical search and rescue assistance in collapsed structures. Spokesman Roy Wilsher said:

Quote Our team is well on its way to Nepal and they will be using their specialist equipment, skills and knowledge in a bid to help locate and rescue people affected in Nepal.

The earthquake has devastated Nepal and we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to help. The team which has gone out are all highly trained professionals who will be offering as much assistance in the rescue endeavour on the ground as they possibly can.

12.26

Two RAF transport aircraft are expected to fly from Brize Norton with emergency supplies later this afternoon.

The C17 and Hercules will carry supplies from the Department for International Development. Military liaison teams will also be on board.


Nepalese army personnel and a sniffer dog search for victims amidst the rubble of collapsed houses after in Bhaktapur (REUTERS)

12.25

Restoring clean water supplies to prevent diseases such as Cholera is now a priority, said the Red Cross.

There are reports of sewerage systems breaking down due to lack of electricity and pipes and wells can be broken up by the quake, contaminating water supplies.

A spokesman said teams with water purification equipment were on their way.

She said: “It is a worry when you have a lot of people sleeping out in the open and not able to go home. Things like bathroom sanitation become a real concern.”

12.18

The death toll from the earthquake could have been even higher if it had not taken place on a Saturday, as this image of a school building shows:

12.14

A DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) joint charity appeal has been announced for the Nepal earthquake.

Leading UK aid agencies said money raised will support the efforts of DEC members to reach families affected by Saturday’s 7.8 quake which struck west of the capital Kathmandu.

DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said:

Quote The pictures and stories coming out of Nepal show families ripped apart by this disaster.

Survivors are in need of medical help, shelter, food and water. In many cases they have lost everything and our members are ready to help them rebuild.

You can make donations from midday on Monday on 0370 60 60 900 and website dec.org.uk

12.05

Bhutan – Nepal’s tiny neighbour – has been heavily involved in the emergency response.

Tshering Tobgay, the country’s prime minister, has flown to Kathmandu to help rescue his stranded countrymen.

“On board special flight, bound for Kathmandu, to call on PM Koirala to offer condolences of HM and our people and assist in any way we can,” he said in a tweet.

Tobgay also tweeted about the Bhutan nationals who have been evacuated from the disaster-torn Nepal. “Thank you Tashi Air for evacuating stranded Bhutanese from Kathmandu,” he tweeted.

He added, “Druk Air scheduled to do two flights to Kathmandu to evacuate stranded Bhutanese. Proud of our airlines.”

Bhutan has pledged $1m in aid – the same amount pledged so far by the US.

12.00

A filmmaker who survived the effects of the Nepalese earthquake recounts terrifying moments at Mount Everest

11.47

The World Health Organisation said on Monday it had already distributed medical supplies to cover the health needs of more than 40,000 people for three months in the country.

But with food also expected to quickly run scarce, the UN World Food Programme has promised a “large, massive operation” to “mobilise all of our food stocks in the region”.

WFP is loading a plane with rations of food that does not require cooking in Dubai, and spokesman Elisabeth Byrs said it would likely arrive in Nepal on Tuesday.

The food will be distributed to survivors in the country, taken by truck where possible, but due to the massive destruction, “the relief cargo may need to be airlifted,” Ms Byrs said.

WFP experts are meanwhile pouring over satellite images to estimate how many people have been affected by the disaster, Ms Byrs said.

She said the worst-hit area was in “an agricultural zone that is home to between two and three million people.”

11.03

A team of British Army Gurkhas who were climbing Everest as part of the 200th anniversary of the Nepalese soldiers’ service to the crown are reported safe and well at Base Camp.

The expedition members are now recovering equipment and helping at the site.

The team had hoped to become the first serving Gurkhas to reach the summit.

10.43

The number of people killed in Nepal by the Himalayan country’s worst earthquake in eight decades has risen to 3,726, a home ministry official said on Monday.

Including those killed in India and China, that takes the earthquake total death toll confirmed so far to 3,812.

10.41

Here is The Queen‘s message in full:

Quote I was shocked to hear of the appalling loss of life and injuries caused by the earthquake.

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this disaster and with those bereaved and affected.

Prince Philip joins me in extending our deepest sympathy to you and the Nepali people. The thoughts of everyone in the United Kingdom are with the families of all those caught up in this terrible event.

10.34

Two French nationals are known to have been killed and about 10 injured in the Nepal earthquake, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said on Monday. He added that 676 French people were missing and about 1,400 had been located and were “safe and well”.

10.16

The Queen today said she was “shocked to hear of the appalling loss of life and injuries” caused by the earthquake in Nepal, adding that her “thoughts and prayers are with the victims”.

10.13

The Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to Nepal:

Quote If you are in a safe place, you should stay where you are until it is safe to leave. You should follow any advice provided by the local authorities. If you can leave Nepal safely then we advise that you should do so.

If you are a British national currently in Nepal and wish to inform the FO of your whereabouts you should contact us by completing the online form, emailing help@fco.gov.uk or calling us on +44 20 7008 0000, and texting NEPAL to +447860010026.

10.10

The confirmed death toll in Nepal is currently 3,617, though this is expected to rise, with up to 72 Britons missing but none yet confirmed dead.

Raziye Akkoc rounds up the latest confirmed figures, including those affected by nationality:

The Foreign Office said hundreds of Britons are believed to be in Nepal but there are as yet no reports of injuries of deaths.

Below are the details released by some foreign governments on citizens who were in Nepal.

Countries are listed in alphabetical order.

Australia: 549 Australians registered as travelling in Nepal, 200 confirmed safe. No reports of Australian deaths.

Austria: Around 250 Austrians in Nepal, no reports of any casualties.

Bangladesh: Fifty nationals, including members of the country’s under-14 girls’ football team, evacuated. No information on exact number of nationals in Nepal.

Britain: Several hundred Britons believed to be in Nepal. No reports of deaths or injuries.

Read in full – Nepal earthquake: Facts about survivors and victims as Britons still missing

09.59

A landslide caused by over-night tremors brought added anxiety for thousands racing back to Kathmandu to rescue relatives whose homes were destroyed in Saturday’s earthquake, writes Dean Nelson from Muglin, Nepal:

They spoke of their growing fears for their families and the desperate conditions they were living in as they waited for a single digger to clear mud, stones and boulders blocking the road from Narayangarh, west of Kathmandu.

Bhupendra Sapkota, a government official working in Nepalganj, was rushing to meet his wife and two young daughters at their home in Bhaktapur, just outside of Kathmandu, which suffered extensive damage and lost many lives.

Hi wife and two daughters were afraid, he said, but he was more concerned for his elderly parents whose village in Kavre district was one of the worst affected. Only two or three of several hundred homes are still standing, the rest heavily damaged or entirely destroyed.

“181 people have been killed in our areas, according to the government but I think it is ten times that figure because many of the villages are remote and the police do not go there, there’s no access.

“I’m going to visit my father and mother. Their house is destroyed, they’ve lost their animals, dogs, goats, cows, everything. We have lost two houses – they’re made of mud and clay not concrete”, he said.

Prakash Khadka, a 30 year old development worker, said he was trying to reach his wife who is living in “terrible conditions” in the capital. “People are living in tents, there’s no food and she’s scared. The buildings are sliding down and more than 100 people are sleeping on the ground. The area around my house is totally destroyed”, he said.

Vinod Rajpoudel, 29, said thieves were exploiting the crisis in the capital and that his family told him some friends had jewellery snatched. “Where my wife and children are living is not safe”, he said.

Gaj Gurung Bahadur, a 52 year old businessman from Gorkha, close to the epicentre, said 60 houses in his village, Sivanchaul, had collapsed. “My neighbours lost their homes and my family is very afraid,” he said.

09.27

The death toll in Nepal has now reached 3,617, says the country’s police force.

09.13

There is little sign of the authorities taking action to help those left without water, fuel and communications in Kathmandu, writes Thomas Bell from the Nepalese capital – while the worst damage appears to be elsewhere:

Quote Walking around Kathmandu I see 99 per cent of buildings in most areas [are] unscathed, little visible damage to infrastructure. Little sign of authorities.

Less than [the] physical devastation, what is apparent in Kathmandu is systems under strain: telephones, fuel, water.

While most attention is on Kathmandu, worst problems seem to be elsewhere: Western hills, Other districts, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur villages.

Am told that in badly damaged Harisiddhi (Kathmandu suburb) people angry at lacking response are blocking government vehicles.

I would imagine that there is risk of public anger in Kathmandu in coming days if people remain without food, water, shelter. Visible govt important

08.57

The Telegraph’s Tom Phillips is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where many Nepalese trying to get home are worried about their loved ones:

08.54

A “lack of capacity” among officials and a “fatalistic” reluctance to take precautions among Nepal’s population meant the country was under-prepared for a major earthquake despite one being “almost inevitable”, a British expert has said.

Jon Bennett, director at Oxford Development Consultants, told BBC Radio 4’s Today’s programme that the British Government had been investing in helping Nepal to prepare, offering training and equipment in anticipation of an earthquake.

Mr Bennett, who was working in the country before the devastation reviewing Britain’s work in Nepal, said:

Quote We have known for quite a long time that, after an 80-year period, it was almost inevitable there was going to be a large earthquake in Nepal. The British Government had indeed invested some money in the preparedness for this, along with the EU and the Americans and several others.

It has to be said that, no matter how much effort is made in this respect, it is still a drop in the ocean. Everybody knows that preparedness is everything and yet, on the other hand, we had a situation where a government itself which has some capacity issues, especially at local government level, was struggling to get in place the kind of early warning systems and the provisions etc that would be necessary to deal with a large- scale earthquake.

But I think, more important than that, there was a problem of attitude. For the most part, Nepalese are fairly fatalistic and it’s true to say that trying to get some kind of enthusiasm for preparedness is difficult in circumstances where people are essentially very poor.

08.40

Clear weather on Monday has enabled mountain rescue helicopters to airlift climbers stranded for two days at high altitude down to safety.

Romanian climber Alex Gavan said on Twitter that three helicopters had reached camps 1 and 2, which are at altitudes of more than 20,000 feet.

Each helicopter is only capable of carrying two climbers due to the thin air, Mr Gavan said from base camp.

07.41

Dramatic footage of the moment the Avalanche struck Everest climbers has been published online (see top of page).

Meanwhile, tents and water were being handed out on Monday at 10 locations in Kathmandu, district chief administrator Ek Narayan Aryal said.

The United Nations said hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley were overcrowded and running out of emergency supplies and space to store corpses.

Most shops in the capital were closed after the government declared a weeklong period of recovery. Only fruit vendors and pharmacies seemed to be doing business.

The first nations to respond were Nepal’s neighbors – India, China and Pakistan. Britain, the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Israel and Singapore also sent aid.

06.56

German mountaineer Jost Kobusch captured the terrifying moment the Everest base camp was hit by an avalanche.

05.42

The report by the United Nations representative in Nepal is somewhat stark warning of the dangers of disease in the aftermath of the earthquake, in particular there is concern about a measles outbreak

05.08

Citizens of more than 30 countries were understood to have been in Nepal, a country dependent on tourism, when the earthquake struck. Embassies are now trying to track their nationals down. Several hundred Britons are kown to have been in Nepal. The Japanese Foreign Ministry has confirmed one of its citizens died, more than 1,000 live in the country. France, meanwhile, has tracked down 1,098 of its citizens, but another 674 have still to be found. There are 549 Australians recorded as travelling in Nepal and so far 200 have been confirmed as safe. Israel, meanwhile, has located 400 of its 600 nationals in the country.

04.13

With at least 67 people being killed in India and a further 20 in China, the total number of fatalities now has exceeded 3,300, according to the latest official figures. Many people in Kathmandu are sleeping in the streets or makeshift tents as they seek what shelter they can from the heavy rain. Similar stories are being told elsewhere in the country and beyond. But with much of region cut off, the full extent of the devastation remains unclear.

Villagers rest in a makeshift tent in Gyirong County in Xigaze, Tibet

03.51

Tim Costello chief executive of World Vision Australia who is en route to Kathmandu has given an idea of the scale of the problems which rescue workers face, with the ground on which they are standing moving beneath them and the water supply seriously damaged. He warned:

Quote“Children are the most vulnerable, they are my concern. Cholera could cost more lives than even this earthquake.

03.20

The death toll from the earthquake is continuing to rise. Rameshwor Dangal, who heads the Nepal home ministry’s national disaster management division, says the number of fatalities has reached 3,218, while another 6,538 have been injured.

03.00

Video is emerging of a man being rescued after spending nine hours covered by rubble following the earthquake

02.15

Concern for those missing and solidarity with the stricken people of Nepal is spreading across the world.

Students light candles and pray for people affected by the Nepal earthquake in Hengyang City, China

01.30

In India there is concern about the fate of Ankur Behl, 60, a veteran climber. He and his wife, Sangeeta, 54, are the oldest mountaineering couple in the country andare in the midst of an attempt to do the “Seven Summits” – climbing the highest mountain in each of the seven continents. Having done the first four together, they decided to tackle Everest separately. Mrs Behl has received a text message from him, but he and his team are running low on food and fuel, she told the Times of India.

01.06

Medical teams are already on the ground in some of the more remote areas

A medical station near the base camp in Mount Qomolangma

00.51

More details are emerging of Britain’s contribution to the international rescue effort. Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, announced £5 million worth of aid. A flight chartered by Britain’s Department for International Development has been sent to Kathmandu. It is carrying seven international search and rescue crews, four search and rescue dogs, a medical support team and a hazardous materials specialist.

The teams are equipped with more than 11 tonnes of kit, including torches, axes, rope, search cameras, stretchers and tents.

For yesterday’s events in Nepal, read in full: April 26 as it happened

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