Kathmandu--A week on from a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal, flattening large parts of the capital Kathmandu and causing devastation across the impoverished Himalayan nation, here are some key facts about the disaster.
- Death toll -
- 6,621 people are known to have died in Nepal alone and 14,023 others were injured
- More than 100 people were killed in neighbouring India and China
- 18 climbers died at Mount Everest base camp when the quake sparked an avalanche
- Two Americans, an Australian, a Japanese and a Chinese national were among the victims on the mountain
- 1,000 European Union citizens are missing, the EU says
- 12 others from EU countries have been confirmed dead
- Survivors -
- Eight million people, or around a quarter of Nepal's population, have been affected, the United Nations estimates
- 2.8 million Nepalese were displaced
- More than 3.5 million people are estimated to be in need of food assistance
- 1.7 million children are in need of humanitarian aid in the worst-hit areas, according to UNICEF
- Aid -
- Rescuers from 22 countries are involved in the relief effort while $61 million has been pledged, according to the UN
- Britain has promised $15 million
- $12.5 million has been pledged by the United States
- $15 million is being released from the UN's emergency fund
- The UN has appealed for $415 million while UNICEF is seeking to raise $50.35 million
- The United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization has appealed for $8 million for farmers
- The World Food Programme says it needs US$116.5 million to provide food for 1.4 million people
- Reconstruction -
- 160,786 homes were destroyed and another 143,673 damaged
- The UN says that up to 90 percent of health facilities in four districts were severely damaged
- Some 16,000 schools were damaged
- Reconstruction costs could top $5 billion -- around 20 percent of the country's GDP -- according to business research consultancy IHS
AFP
