Off the wire
• Roundup: Nepal grapples with quake aftermath, int'l rescue efforts underway  • Top legislator urges promoting vocational education  • Urgent: Nuke elimination top priority for UN, says Ban  • Yan/Wu duo made to work in mixed doubles at table tennis worlds  • Germany provides aid for relief efforts in quake-hit Nepal  • China to cut art, literature awards by 60 percent  • Tough reforms to bring better life to Serbian people: PM  • EU approves acquisition of Detlev Louis Motorradvertriebs by Berkshire Hathaway  • PetroChina reports 1 bln USD Q1 profits amid plunging oil prices  • Shanghai FTZ expands to include three districts  
You are here: 　 Home

IFRC launches emergency appeal to assist Nepal earthquake

Xinhua, April 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Monday launched a preliminary emergency appeal to support the Nepal Red Cross Society deliver assistance to 75,000 people affected by a major earthquake.

The 33.5 million CHF (35.1 million U.S. dollars) appeal will allow IFRC to provide critical, life-saving support such as emergency shelter and basic household items, emergency health and care including psychosocial support, livelihoods support, dignified burials and restoring family links services.

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.

Both the death toll and the level of humanitarian needs will climb as new areas are accessed and more information becomes available.

"This is a major disaster, and we are still to fully understand the impact. Our appeal reflects the situation as we understand it now. As more information becomes available, as more remote villages and communities are reached, it will be adjusted," IFRC Secretary General Elhadj As Sy said in a statement.

Since the earthquake, more than 1,500 volunteers and 300 staff from the Nepal Red Cross Society have been working around the clock. They have supported search and rescue efforts, provided first aid, offered psychosocial support, carried out assessments and given assistance at evacuation centers and on the streets.

In addition to supporting relief efforts in Kathmandu, Red Cross teams are working with authorities to reach towns and villages closer to the epicenter of the quake. The humanitarian situation in these areas is of major concern.

The IFRC, working closely with Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world, is also deploying teams and supplies to support the response effort. A Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT) is on the ground to support Nepal Red Cross assessments and to help guide the first waves of international support.

"We are rallying our global resources to support the Nepal Red Cross, and make sure that the response to this disaster is as efficient and effective as possible. We call on all partners and donors to urgently and generously support our action, and the wider humanitarian efforts that have been launched in response to this critical situation," said Sy. Endit