A second consignment comprising nine tonnes of emergency relief materials from India arrived in earthquake-hit Nepal on Monday, as another tremor of 5.6 magnitude struck the mountainous country. This comes days after a powerful earthquake devastated Nepal, killing at least 153 people.
The Indian embassy in Kathmandu said that the second consignment of relief material was transported to Nepalgunj by a special Indian Air Force C-130 aircraft on Monday. The consignment comprised essential medical and hygiene supplies, tents, sleeping bags and blankets.
Deputy Chief of the Indian mission Prasanna Shrivastava handed over the second consignment of relief materials to Chief District Officer of Banke Shravan Kumar Pokhrel. The relief materials are for the quake-affected families in Nepal as people are facing a shortage of food, warm clothes and medicines.
"This is part of the Government of India's efforts to support the Government of Nepal in the wake of the earthquake in Jajarkot... India continues to remain steadfast in extending all possible support to the Government of Nepal in the aftermath of the Jajarkot earthquake," said the Indian embassy.
The relief materials include 625 units of plastic tarpaulin and tents, 1,000 units of sleeping bags, 1,000 blankets, 70 large-size tents, 35 packets of tent accessories, medicines and 48 other articles, officials said.
In the current crisis, India became the first responder as it transported a 10-tonne consignment of emergency relief materials worth Rs 10 crore on Sunday, including tents, tarpaulin sheets, blankets, and sleeping bags along with essential medicines and medical equipment
The Jajarkot earthquake in Nepal
Nepal was jolted by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake just before midnight on Friday that killed 153 people and injured over 250 others. The earthquake, which hit Jajarkot and Rukum West districts in western Nepal, also damaged around 8,000 houses, both public and private, according to officials. The impact of the quake was felt in Kathmandu and surrounding districts, and even in New Delhi in neighbouring India.
"Deeply saddened by loss of lives and damage due to the earthquake in Nepal. India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to extend all possible assistance. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and we wish the injured a quick recovery," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the earthquake.
The Nepal Army mobilised its personnel Friday soon after the earthquake to carry out rescue works at the incident site, according to Nepal Army spokesperson Krishna Prasad Bhandari.
The survivors of the catastrophe cremated their deceased relatives on Sunday. Due to the difficult terrain, the relief materials are yet to reach several areas. Villagers were left asking for help and said that all of their crops, food and valuables were buried in the debris.
The earthquake victims are in need of immediate help and blamed the government for delayed response even during emergencies. "There are no doctors or any medical help here. We have food left for a maximum of two days. We hope more help will soon arrive," said a resident in Chiuritol.
It is worth mentioning that earthquakes are common in mountainous Nepal. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 killed some 9,000 people and damaged about 1 million structures.. According to the government's post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) report, Nepal is the 11th most earthquake-prone country in the world.
Data from the Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre shows that since January 1, 2023, till date, there have been a total of 70 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 and above in Nepal. Of these, as many as 13 were between magnitude 5 and 6 while three were above magnitude 6.0.
Another major earthquake in Nepal
Meanwhile, the hilly state again recorded massive tremors on Monday at around 4:16 pm. According to the National Center for Seismology, the magnitude of the tremor was 5.6. However, it was not clear whether the fresh tremors caused any casualties or not.
According to the National Center for Seismology, the earthquake of Magnitude -5.6 occurred at 16.16:40 IST in Nepal. It was the second major tremor within three days in Nepal.
(with inputs from agencies)
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