Asia-Pacific

Nepal earthquake: Teams search region buried by mudslide

60 bodies recovered from Langtang Valley 10 days after devastating earthquake

The valley around the village of Langtang, in the remote Nepalese district of Rasuwa bordering China’s Tibet. Photograph: MOIRA SHAW/AFP/Getty Images
The valley around the village of Langtang, in the remote Nepalese district of Rasuwa bordering China’s Tibet. Photograph: MOIRA SHAW/AFP/Getty Images
Tue May 05 2015 - 09:30

Rescuers are digging through piles of earth and snow on a popular trekking route in Nepal, where an entire village was buried by a mudslide triggered by the earthquake that struck the region 10 days ago.

Gautam Rimal, the government administrator of the Rasuwa district, said police and local villagers have recovered 60 bodies from Langtang Valley.

Nine of the victims were foreign trekkers, he said.

A resident walks through tents set up near destroyed houses in the village of Barpak in north central Nepal, nine days after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Himalayan nation on April 25th. Photograph: COLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images
A resident walks through tents set up near destroyed houses in the village of Barpak in north central Nepal, nine days after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Himalayan nation on April 25th. Photograph: COLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images

Local villagers say as many as 200 people could be buried in the mudslide triggered by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on April 25th.

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Langtang Valley lies nearly 60 km north of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. It was a popular stop for trekkers because of scenic views of the Himalayas.

“The entire village was wiped out by the mudslide. There were some 60 houses there, but they were all buried under rubble. It would be impossible to recover all the bodies,” Mr Rimal said.

The area is about a two day trek from the nearest town because the landslide has blocked roads to the area. Helicopters could provide easier access to the village but the Nepalese government is facing an acute shortage of helicopters.

The still-rising death toll from the quake, Nepal’s worst in more than 80 years, has reached more than 7,300.

The hunt for the victims in the village comes a day after Nepal’s government said it will need immense international support as the nation begins turning its attention toward reconstruction in the coming weeks in the wake of the devastating earthquake.

Nepal is one of the world’s poorest nations, and its economy, largely based on tourism, has been crippled by the earthquake.

"In two to three weeks a serious reconstruction package needs to be developed, where we'll need enormous help from the international community," said information minister Minendra Rijal. "There's a huge, huge funding gap."

He said the nation will soon be shifting away from rescue mode and will be concentrating more on relief operations.

Since the earthquake, 4,050 rescue workers from 34 different nations have flown to Nepal to help in rescue operations, provide emergency medical care and distribute food and other necessities.

PA