Islamic Relief is preparing to give vital aid to those affected by the devastating earthquake in Nepal
Staff from Islamic Relief’s regional Disaster Response Team (DRT) have been deployed to the affected region, and are expected to be joined by other disaster response experts once Kathmandu airport is reopened.
There, following an assessment, we anticipate providing food, shelter, water and non-food items such as hygiene kits and kitchen sets to some of the 1.6 million people believed to have lost their homes in the earthquake.
The earthquake struck an area between Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara shortly after 11am local time today. Measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, its tremors were felt as far away as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, with the earthquake triggering avalanches in the Himalayas.
The total number of those killed by the earthquake is unknown. So far 1,000 fatalities have been reported, including 34 in northern India and one in Bangladesh, but this number is expected to increase with another 300,000 people believed to have been injured.