Feature: Sad tales from survivors of Nepal's deadly earthquake

To the survivors of the 7.9 magnitude quake in Liping-Kodari, Sindhupalchowk, the hilly area in the border area with China, there are no words to describe their ordeal.

But to them, the fact that they are still alive after the massive quake that struck Nepal on April 25 is a miracle in itself.

Dil Maya Rai, 58, originally a resident of Dharan City in eastern Nepal, is wondering if her relatives are still alive almost two weeks after the earthquake.

She and her husband, Yog Raj Rai, 61, a former science teacher, along with three other family members, were caught by the quake while they were bathing at the hot springs in Tatopani.

From that time on, they lost contact with their other relatives.

Liping-Kodari was badly hit by the quake where thousands are believed to be buried alive under the rubble. Only a few buildings in the area are still standing. Communication with the rest of the country has been cut off since the quake.

The lack of communication facilities and passable roads hampered the survivors from finding out what happened to their relatives even within their villages.

This has also prevented rescue personnel from reaching their district to distribute the much-needed food, tents, medicines and other essential items.

A few survivors have managed to contact their relatives through SIM cards provided by members of the Chinese rescue team who were the first to arrive in the disaster area.

Most of the survivors, including the Rai family, are now housed in temporary shelters put up by local people.

According to Kumar Shrestha, president of Bhairab Kunda Youth Club, they have not received assistance from the government and foreign agencies because the roads are impassable due to landslides and avalanche caused by the quake.

"We kept all survivors in our local shelter for their own security. With the meager resources that we have, we have managed to give them food, water and shelter," Shrestha said.

Dil Maya said she could not believe that she survived."I am just lucky that god saved me," she said.

More than 7,000 people have been killed by the quake while thousands are still missing and are presumed dead. Among those killed were foreigners who were caught by the quake while climbing Mount Qomolangma.

Kedar Nath Sapkota, 40, is a real-estate entrepreneur from Kathmandu, and nine of his family members have gone to the Nepali- China border when the quake struck. Fortunately, all of them survived but Sapkota's 73-year-old father, who was left in Kathmandu, fainted after he lost contact with his son, believing that he was among those killed by the quake.

Sapkota told Xinhua that he was able to leave Tatopani six days after the disaster through a tortuous journey along damaged roads and rejoined his father in the capital. "My father was very relieved to find out that we were safe," he said.

Jyoti Tamang, 33, a beautician in Kathmandu, has her own story to tell. She told Xinhua that she lost contact with her husband, Dil Bahadur Lama, who was desperately trying to reach her. But because of the breakdown in communications, the two were not able to communicate with each other.

Bahadur Lama already entertained the thought that his wife and son were among those killed. He was relieved to find out a week later that his two loved ones were safe. "I want to forget the whole incident. We've got a new life and it's a miracle," said Yog Raj, 61, a survivor. Endi