Search For Quake Victims Ends, Nepal Thanks Malaysian Rescuers, Among Others

By M. Santhiran and Yuba Nath Lamsal KATHMANDU (Nepal), May 5 (Bernama) -- The Nepal Foreign Ministry has announced the end of search and rescue (SAR) operations, following confirmation of the total number of deaths at 7,276, and 14,362 injured in the Himalayan country's worst-ever earthquake on April 25. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake was the most powerful disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake. In a special briefing to foreign envoys at the ministry here Monday, the minister, Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said the Nepal Government would would focus more on relief operations. He said so far, 58 deaths involving foreigners were reported, while 52 people were injured and 112, missing. A total of 200,552 buildings were destroyed, with partial damage to 186,285 others. The briefing was the second since the disaster. Malaysia's Counsellor/Charge D'Affairs Fadli Adilah was among those who attended Monday's briefing. Fadli said Pandey conveyed the gratitude of the Nepali Government and its people towards the international community, including Malaysia for the spontaneous and generous support extended to the country during the tragedy. A total 76 rescue teams and 70 medical teams from 34 countries were involved in the SAR operations. About 30 Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Teams (SMART), and 20 volunteers from Mercy Malaysia and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society were part of the teams since Tuesday. Pandey commended rescuers who were deployed at quake-hit areas in Sindhupalchok, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Rasuwa, Kavre, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Dolakha. During the SAR operations, 16 people were rescued and 150 bodies recovered from the massive rubble of collapsed structures. In a related development, the Nepal Government has set up a reconstruction and rehabilitation fund (RRF) targeted at raising about US$2 billion. About US$200 million from the government's coffers have already been transfered to the fund, says the foreign ministry. The RRF fund will place high priority on the restoration of monuments and historical sites. The international community has been urged to lend their expertise and extend the necessary cooperation to preserve Nepal's ancient cultural heritage. Meanwhile, on the same development, Nepal has decided to send foreign search and rescue teams back as the government is capable of handling the search and rescue operation on its own. Although the government is yet to make a formal decision on it, the Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee (CNDRC) headed by the Home Minister has recommended the government to send back the foreign rescue teams, said officials at the Home Ministry. The Council of Ministers is expected to make a formal decision Monday. "It is normal practice everywhere in the world that foreign search and rescue teams cannot live more than week and the CNDRC has decided to recommend the government to humbly send the foreign rescuers back as the government itself is capable of handling the situation. "We valued highly the assistance our foreign friends provided during the search and rescue operation over the last one week but Nepal itself can handle the situation now," said Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, a spokesman at the Home Ministry. Although foreign search and rescue teams will be sent back, Nepal, however, continues to seek more assistance from the international community for relief and reconstruction. "We welcome relief material from the international community and foreign friends, which will be distributed to the needy people by the Nepal government itself," Dhakal said. It, however, does not apply to the medical teams as limited foreign health workers will be allowed to assist the government in providing health services to the earthquake victims, he said. Currently, over 700 health workers from 34 countries are providing health services to the earthquake victims. --BERNAMA