Nepal quake death toll rises to 4,456 across 3 countries

A Nepal police official says at least 4,352 bodies have so far been recovered after Saturday’s massive earthquake that struck just outside of capital Kathmandu.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Komal Singh Bam says the toll includes 1,176 bodies recovered in Sindhupalchuk district, just northeast of the capital.

He says 8,063 people have been injured.

Another 18 people were also killed in a quake-triggered avalanche that swept the Everest base camp. In neighboring India 61 people were killed and China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported 25 dead in Tibet.

Meanwhile,  local seismologist says major aftershocks are now unlikely to occur as the 72-hour mark after Saturday’s devastating earthquake approaches.

Lok Bijaya Adhikari, chief of Nepal’s National Seismological Center, says the number and strength of aftershocks have been receding. There have been more than 100 aftershocks since Saturday’s magnitude 7.8 temblor. The largest of these was magnitude 6.7 on Sunday.

The ground shook Tuesday morning at 5 a.m. but measured only magnitude 4.5.

Smaller aftershocks are expected to continue for a month and Kathmandu residents could continue to feel tremors because the epicenter is close to the city.

Health workers fear a major health crisis among the survivors who are living in the open or in crowded tents with no access to sanitation or clean water.

Baburam Marasini, director of Nepal’s Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, says their main concern is making sure people get clean water.

He says “we fear diseases.” He says the department is asking people to take precautions such as eating with a clean spoon and not with their hands as most people here normally do.

He says people are also being asked to drink clean water. Attempts are also being made to reach rural areas quickly where a clear picture of the death toll is still not available.

A government official says business owners are being asked to open their shops amid anxiety among locals about dwindling food and medical supplies.

Naindra Prasad Upadhaya, an official at the Commerce and Supplies Ministry says the government has made arrangements to pick up food and supplies directly from factories and distribute them free in areas where necessary.

Water has been the big issue. There will be more tankers bringing water to the areas where people are camped out in Kathmandu and surrounding areas, he says. Food will also be sent to the rural areas on helicopters, he says.

Police are on the lookout for businesses that are overcharging to take advantage of demand and scarcity, and such people will be arrested and punished, he said.