Roundup: Nepal grapples with quake aftermath, int'l rescue efforts underway

Rescue operations in quake- ravaged Nepal is being stepped up as aid materials and personnel are arriving from foreign countries. But the Himalayan country is still in dire need of relief and support after the devastating quake has taken nearly 4,000 lives.

As of Monday evening, a total of 3,904 people had been killed and about 7,180 others injured in the powerful earthquake that struck Nepal at midday Saturday, said the country's home ministry.

The 7.9-magnitude quake jolted central, western, mid-western and far-western parts of Nepal, which was followed by at least 15 strong aftershocks, with the last one of 6.7 magnitude occurred on Sunday afternoon.

In the Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak, more than 150 mountaineers are still stranded in two base camps, while the death toll in the quake-triggered avalanche in Mount Qomolangma has climbed to 19, authorities said Monday.

Six helicopters have been dispatched to the avalanche-hit area. But only two could function due to bad weather condition, according to local officials.

The quake has also caused property damages worth billions of U. S. dollar in the country, though the government of Nepal has not yet been able to determine the number of houses and properties destroyed in the earthquake.

An emergency cabinet meeting has announced 29 districts in the country as crisis zones, according to the Home Ministry. However, rescue operations are hampered by damaged roads, ineffective communication lines and landslides, and are slow in remote areas due to a lack of equipment.

Tens and thousands of people in the Himalayan nation are spending chilly nights in the open for the past two days and looking for the basic essentials following the devastating earthquake.

The government of Nepal said it urgently needs tents, dry food, mattresses medicine and other basic essentials to distribute to its people who are in dire need of relief and support.

Many Nepalese have been experiencing power outage for the past two days since the 7.9-magnitude quake jolted the Himalayan country, and officials said that the electricity could only be resumed on Tuesday.

The UN Children's Fund said Sunday that nearly 1 million children in areas affected by the earthquake were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The United Nations warned in a report that diarrhea was already a growing problem and a measles outbreak was feared with a shortage of vaccines.

Nepal has called on foreign countries, including neighboring China and India, to provide more support during a meeting with over two dozen Kathmandu-based ambassadors and diplomats, on Monday.

The Katmandu international airport has been operating normally since Sunday, with both passenger planes and relief planes arriving from various foreign countries worldwide.

More than a dozen countries have sent rescue teams and humanitarian aid.

A 62-strong China International Search and Rescue Team arrived in Nepal on Sunday to carry out the humanitarian mission. On Monday morning, a Chinese Government Medical Team arrived in Nepal, the first of its kind dispatched to Nepal by the Chinese government.

The Chinese government has also decided to provide aid worth 20 million yuan (3.3 million U.S. dollars), including tents, blankets and generators.

The powerful quake also jolted neighboring India and Bangladesh. In India, the quake also caused 66 lives and in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at least 25 were killed due to the tremor. Endi