UN releases $15m for immediate relief needs in Nepal

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations on Monday released $15 million for immediate relief needs in Nepal, where more than 1.4 million people need food aid in the wake of a powerful earthquake that struck Saturday.

UN "Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos today released $15 million through the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to allow international humanitarian organizations to rapidly scale up their operations and provide immediate assistance to people in desperate need," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said here at a daily news briefing.

"The recipients will use the funds for the most immediate, life- saving needs, including shelter, water, medical supplies, logistics services and other relief items," Haq said.

A staggering 7.9-magnitude quake, the worst to hit the country in over 80 years, shook central, western, mid-western and far- western parts of Nepal at midday on Saturday, leaving tens and hundreds of people injured and causing damage to properties worth over billion US dollars.

In the capital Kathmandu, thousands of people had spent the night on pavements, in parks and open fields in chilly temperatures, too afraid to return to their ramshackle homes.

Most of the historic buildings in the worst-hit Kathmandu Valley were destroyed in Saturday's catastrophe while a 6.7- magnitude aftershock jolted Nepal on Sunday.

"As of today, the (Nepalese) government reports that 3,351 people have been killed and 6,833 injured," Haq said. "Eight million people have been affected in 39 of the country's districts. "

More than 1.4 million people need food assistance, including 750,000 people who live near the epicenter in poor quality housing, he said, adding this is the largest earthquake to hit Nepal since 1934.

"Food trucks are on their way to affected districts outside the Kathmandu valley and distribution is expected to begin on the 28th of April," he said.

UN and humanitarian partners are supporting teams that are deployed to affected districts to assess the most urgent needs, and the Humanitarian Country Team is coordinating international relief efforts to support the government, he said.

"The priority will be to address the needs of the most vulnerable and save lives," he said. "This means search and rescue and debris removal to find and save people."

A 62-strong Chinese team arrived in Nepal on Sunday. "We worked at the scene continuously for a day and night, and forget today ( Monday) is the birthday of China's International Rescue Team," said deputy chief Qu Guosheng, who was in Nepal last month training local rescue teams.

The Chinese government has decided to provide aid worth 20 million yuan ($3.3 million), including tents, blankets and generators.

"For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) is mobilizing to meet the needs of the people whose lives have been shattered by the massive earthquake in Nepal," Haq said. "WFP teams specializing in logistics and emergency response have arrived in Kathmandu and others are on their way to assess the scale of the disaster."