Nepal earthquake: Survivors bury dead & face uncertain future

• Nepal earthquake survivors bury dead & face uncertain future.
• A remote riverside village in western Nepal reverberates with sorrow.
• Jajarkot was one of the hardest-hit regions in the earthquake.

A remote riverside village in western Nepal reverberates with sorrow following a powerful earthquake that struck last Friday.

Grief-stricken survivors have come together to bid farewell to the 13 individuals who lost their lives in the 6.4-magnitude quake.

The survivors in the isolated Jajarkot district are deeply concerned about their future as they mourn their loved ones. They have been forced to sleep in the open cold since the earthquake razed their homes, and they are in desperate need of assistance.

Jajarkot, situated in Karnali province, was one of the hardest-hit regions in the earthquake on Friday, resulting in 157 fatalities and over 300 people being injured.

Some of the mourners along the Thuli Bheri riverbanks were so overcome with grief that they fainted and had to be transported to the hospital by ambulance.

Among those cremated was Hire Kami, who had temporarily left his job in India to partake in the Tihar light festival in Jajarkot. His relative, Hattiram Mahar, recounted his efforts to rescue him from the rubble, pointing out the spot where Hire Kami was found barely clinging to life and urging people not to step on it.

Hattiram Mahar stated that people dug through the debris with bowls, plates, and household items in search of survivors.

Hari Bahadur Chunara, a friend of Hire Kami, also came to pay his respects, recalling how the earthquake struck in the middle of the night, causing cries of anguish to echo throughout the village.

The funeral pyres were extinguished, and the survivors made their way uphill towards the remains of their village as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Hari Bahadur Chunara expressed concerns about the lack of shelter, hoping that relief supplies would arrive soon.

Hattiram Mahar worried about children spending another night exposed to the cold without a roof over their heads.

In Aathbiskot, further downstream along the Thuli Bheri River, earthquake survivor Ganesh Malla received medical attention for his injuries. He recollected being airlifted to a hospital by helicopter, where he was one of 30 survivors.

“My two daughters lost their lives,” he lamented. “My wife and son are also injured, but I don’t even know where they are being treated.”

Orthopaedic surgeon Padam Giri at the hospital recalled the influx of patients in the aftermath of the earthquake, some of whom didn’t even have clothing, so they provided them with garments.

Another resident of Aathbiskot, Kul Bahadur Malla, made an appeal for help, emphasizing the loss of their homes. “At least for now, I request the government to make arrangements for sleeping and eating.”

The earthquake’s epicenter was in Barekot, where the damage wasn’t as extensive as in Jajarkot. Nonetheless, it caused mud and stone houses to collapse, noted resident Ganesh GC. However, the concrete houses of the more affluent individuals were not as severely damaged.

Ganesh JC, a teacher, pointed out that the less privileged were beset by floods and landslides, and now the earthquake has further afflicted them, compounding their hardship.

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