Rescue operation underway in Nepal, locals resort to roads for the night

A rescue operation has been underway in Nepal by the Armed Police Force (Nepal) in the wake of the massive earthquake that struck Nepal and parts of northern India and locals have resorted to spend the night sleeping on roads after the calamity as a precaution. "We do not have any actual data about how many people are actually in this building. We can see that a boy is inside the building, so we are trying to rescue him. We have been working on this rescue mission since 1.00 pm. We have rescued 50 people so far," said Inspector Ram, Armed Police Force (Nepal).

"Under my command, there are 40 people. In this area, more than 250 Armed Police Disaster Management trainers are working for rescue," he added.

Locals spent the night on roads as their homes were destroyed due to the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the country. "After the earthquake, we were told by the media that there will be earthquakes again and again. We felt the earthquake three-four times. The first one was the longest which lasted about five minutes. We lost mobile network and there was no electricity," said Pradeep Ranawat, a local.

"We got information through radio that there will be more earthquakes and we were asked to sit outside our houses. That's why we are sitting in an open area, where there are no buildings and trees," he added.

Another local, Suchana Adhikari said, "At the time of earthquake, we got really scared and came out. Since then, we have been outside. We will be singing bhajans and staying out the whole night. I am here with all my family members along with neighbours." 

A local boy, Vicky, played the guitar for his family and other scared victims to calm them down. "I am here with my family, who are all in the aftershock of the earthquake. So, I am playing my guitar to calm them down, because I know that they like it," he said.

Earlier in the day, a strong earthquake measuring 7.9 magnitude of the Richter scale hit east of Pokhara in Nepal, around half way between the town and the capital Kathmandu. The earthquake was 31 km deep and tremors were felt as far as New Delhi and other northern cities in India.

The death toll in Nepal from the powerful earthquake has reportedly risen to 1500.