APRIL 28 (Reuters) — Authorities in Nepal continued mass cremation on Monday (April 27) as bodies piled up following a powerful earthquake at the weekend that has killed more than 3,900 people.
A powerful earthquake struck the Himalayan kingdom with the 7.9 magnitude at midday on Saturday (April 25) followed by several aftershocks.
The government of Nepal has ordered the continuous cremation of the bodies to prevent spread of diseases.
Families and friends of the victims lit hundreds of funeral pyres in towns and the countryside.
“The burning ghat (cremation ground) committee has begun the cremation since early in the morning today. The Nepal government has ordered cremations for 24 hours. The army has provided wood, and the bodies are being burnt at the place where they are found,” said a local resident Kashinath Sashtri.
The death toll is likely to rise as rescuers struggle to reach remote regions in the country of 28 million people and as bodies buried under rubble are recovered.
Nepal, sandwiched between India and China, has had its share of natural disasters. Its worst earthquake in 1934 killed more than 8,500 people.
The quake was more destructive for being shallow, toppling buildings, opening gaping cracks in roads and sending people scurrying into the open as aftershocks rattled their damaged homes.
A series of aftershocks, severe damage from the 7.9 magnitude quake, creaking infrastructure and a lack of funds has slowed the disbursement of aid to those most in need.
In Kathmandu, as elsewhere, thousands are sleeping on pavements, roads and in parks, many under makeshift tents.
Hospitals are full to overflowing, while water, food and power are scarce, raising fears of waterborne diseases.
Nepalese officials have acknowledged they were overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. (Kathmandu, Nepal)
