Nepal’s authorities have ruled out finding more survivors of last week’s earthquake under the rubble, as the death toll rises to 6,621.
“We are trying our best in rescue and relief work but now I don’t think that there is any possibility of survivors,” Home Ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal sai, BBC reported.
Nepal said 14,021 people were injured in the 7.8 magnitude quake on Saturday. The fate of thousands of people in remote areas remains unknown.
The death toll could go up, as search and rescue efforts are still continuing in several hill districts including Dhading, Rasuwa and Sindhupalchok, relief co-ordinator Hemanta Pal said.
While the vast majority of casualties were in Nepal, about 100 people are reported to have died in neighboring India, Tibet, and Bangladesh. The EU envoy to Nepal, Rensje Teerink, said on Friday that the whereabouts of 1,000 EU citizens was still unknown.
Nepal has repeatedly called for more foreign help and humanitarian aid, admitting it was ill-prepared for the disaster. Landslides and poor weather have hampered efforts to deliver aid to isolated districts, and there are only about 20 helicopters available for the rescue and relief operations.
