BIRATNAGAR, NEPAL, Aug 26, Reuter: Nepal planned to start sending medical team equipped with radios into the hills of the southeast on Friday to seek out and help victims of a powerful earthquake that killed at least 690 people.

A Senior Official from Kathmandu said the final toll in the remote hills, where communications are poor at best, was likely to be more than 1,000, the death stood at 690 on Friday.

“It may cross 1,000 in the eastern region alone as we get reports from the interior,” said the official, who asked not to be identified.

All 16 administrative districts of the region were hit by Sunday’s quake, which measured 6.7 on the richer scale. About 200 people died on the adjacent plains of Northern India.

Many villages in the rugged Himalaya and foothills have no communications and lie up to seven day’s walk from government offices,

“We are sending a team of doctors with tents and wireless sets into each of the 16 districts, starting today. They will seek out victims, provide first aid and send us information,” the official said.

“It will certainly take time but there is no other way,” he added.

Villagers complain that promised government help has not arrived. The government said it would give each stricken family 2,000 rupees (about 100 dollars) to help with funeral costs and 40 kg (90 pounds) of rice.

‘The official said Monsoon rains, which have been lashing the hills for the past two months, has slowed down the rescue and relief effort considerably.

Many villages can be reached only on foot or by helicopter. People who set off shortly after the earthquake are still arriving daily at hospitals in Biratnagar and Dharan to the north, carrying the injured on their backs.

 

Nepal has only nine helicopters. Britain and France are reported to be considering sending more, along with Medical Teams.

A British Team arrived on Wednesday in Dharan, where Gurkha soldiers are recruited to the British Army, and has treated nearly 1,000 patients.

All Orthopedic cases were being sent to a British Hospital at their camp. “This is a great relief. We simply cannot cope with this sort of thing here. We are already overflowing,” said M.K. Malla, an official at the government hospital at Biratnagar.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 2, 1988