After Friday’s earthquake claimed 157 lives, the Nepali government hurries to assist the victims

Authorities in Nepal hurried on Sunday to provide relief to those impacted by the earthquake that struck on Friday, killing at least 157 and leaving a path of devastation in the isolated alpine part of the Himalayan country.

Just before midnight on Friday, there was a reported earthquake with an epicenter in the Jajarkot district, about 500 kilometers west of Kathmandu. Many were forced to spend Saturday night outside after the earthquake in the hilly area wrecked hundreds of homes.

One hundred and twenty of the 157 victims of the tragedy have had their remains returned to their relatives. The most catastrophic earthquake to strike the nation since 2015 claimed the lives of around 253 people. A cabinet conference is being called by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, sometimes known as “Prachanda,” to decide on a special aid package for the earthquake sufferers.

The government said on Saturday that, after the severe earthquake in western Nepal, namely in the districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum, it is not in a rush to seek outside assistance for search and rescue operations, relief distribution, and other logistics.

Following the tragedy, the United States, India, and China, as well as Nepal’s near neighbors, have pledged logistical help and sent rescue teams to the region to look for casualties. While touring the districts hit by the earthquake on Saturday, Prachanda said, “We are yet to make any decision on accepting foreign aid.”

“On Sunday morning, there will be a Cabinet meeting to make those decisions,” he said. “Thereafter, we’ll expedite relief and recovery efforts.” The administration made the decision on Saturday night to begin sending food, clothes, and blankets on Sunday. Additionally, the distribution of supplies given by various organizations will take place.

According to representatives of the local administration, the lack of proper resources to handle the tragedy caused chaos on Saturday morning. The district hospital in Jajarkot, according to assistant chief district administrator Harischandra Sharma, is having difficulties due to inadequate funding and equipment.

“The hospital is understaffed and underequipped to handle the volume of casualties. On Saturday morning, we were having trouble getting by,” he said to the Kathmandu Post. With additional physicians and medical teams flying in from Kathmandu and Surkhet, the situation has stabilized, he added.

“After losing their homes to the calamity, the inhabitants were forced to dwell outside in the cold. Our first priority should be providing them with relief supplies. To this end, we are working,” Sharma said.

Chief District Officer of Jajarkot, Suresh Sunar, has announced that relief work would start on Sunday after the completion of rescue efforts for earthquake victims.

He said that while rescue operations had started on Friday night, they were effectively completed by Saturday night, enabling the delivery of supplies to start on Sunday. Additionally, over 1,000 families have been impacted, according to Sunar, causing damage worth millions of dollars.

He went on to say that plans have been developed to use a one-door approach to expedite the aid distribution procedure. With 105 confirmed deaths in Jajarkot alone, the area that was most severely affected by Friday night’s earthquake was Jajarkot. To conduct more investigation and research on the Friday night earthquake, a group of seismologists from the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center, Lainchaur, has traveled to Jajarkot.