Nepal quake toll 6204, fresh tremor felt in Assam

Six days after Nepal’s devastating earthquake, the death toll has reached 6,204, with the Himalayan country reeling under the aftermath of the disaster. With such large-scale devastation, Nepal will need at least $2 billion to rebuild its shattered infrastructure.

Back in India, an earthquake of slight intensity measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale in Jorhat area of Assam kept people on the edge.

Hundreds of rotting bodies are still being found from debris of collapsed buildings in several areas of Nepal, and residents are finding it difficult to return to their homes due to the obnoxious smell emanating from the rubbles of collapsed buildings.

Speaking about the worsening situation, Raman Lal, an Indian paramilitary force official, currently in Nepal, said, “morgues are full beyond capacity, and we have been given instruction to incinerate bodies immediately after they are pulled out.”

Nepal Army Chief Gaurav Rana, who is leading the rescue operation, said that the estimated death toll in the country could be anywhere close to 10,000 to 15,000. So far, the number of injured has gone up to 13,932 in the Himalayan nation. But there seems to be good news for Nepalese living in remote areas, as they have slowly started to receive relief materials.

Nepal’s Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said that Nepal would at least need $2 billion to rebuild homes, hospitals, government offices and historic buildings. “This is just an initial estimate and it will take time to assess the extent of damage and calculate the cost of rebuilding,” he said.

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