Rescue, relief ops continue in Nepal: As it happened on Friday

• "Rahul Gandhi will visit Raxaul, Darbhanga, and Sitamarhi on Saturday to meet victims and to take stock of the situation of ongoing rescue and relief operations in Bihar," says a party leader.
• Chief Minister Nitish Kumar says, "Reaching out to the victims of the devastating earthquake in Nepal, the Bihar government has sent 104 buses to the Himalayan country and brought back 4,141 persons so far." 
• Appreciating the help extended by Indian rescuers, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala says that the country is blessed to have neighbours like India. 

• External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweets that more Indians have returned from quake-hit Nepal.

More Indians return from Nepal. Government assists 11,300+ to return through 218 buses from UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand till date.

— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) May 1, 2015

• Birth of a baby girl at a makeshift Israeli hospital in Kathmandu provides a glimmer of hope to many at a time when gloom and despair has engulfed Nepal.
• International humanitarian bodies calls for greater urgency in relief efforts as the death toll from Saturday's devastating temblor increases to 6,300 while the number of injured reaches around 14,000.

• “It was not caused due to tectonic activities in main central thrust (MCT),” says well-known geologist in Himalayan geology and Padma Bhushan awardee Dr KS Waldia.
• “Nepal earthquake happened due to tectonic activities in sub-continental thrust,” PTI quotes an Expert as saying.
• "We don`t know where they are, or they could be," says Ambassador Rensje, adding that those unaccounted for were mostly tourists in the Langtang and Lukla areas.
• According to IANS, one thousand people from the European Union are missing in Nepal and 12 are confirmed dead.
• "Congress has offered its help. Someone from their party will come to discuss this," says Nepal ambassador Deep Upadhyay. 
• Have already been co-coordinating some help, but reassured the ambassador that if they need any help they should let us know, says Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi visited the Embassy of Nepal and expressed solidarity with the nation in the wake of #NepalEarthquake pic.twitter.com/D9pUSJL7hv

— INC India (@INCIndia) May 1, 2015

• I wanted to come express my support for people of Nepal: Rahul Gandhi after meeting Nepal ambassador.
• Rahul Gandhi signs condolence register for the earthquake victims at the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi.
• Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi reaches Nepal Embassy.

• “One of the last sorties of C-17 from KTM to Palam.Total pax brought back by IAF fixed wing a/c 3358,” tweets Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar.

#NepalEarthquake One of the last sorties of C-17 from KTM to Palam.Total pax brought back by IAF fixed wing a/c 3358. pic.twitter.com/l1Uq3vHvcF

— Sitanshu Kar (@SpokespersonMoD) May 1, 2015

• External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweets a picture showing scale of devastation at Barpak, epicentre of the quake. 

Scale of devastation at Barpak, epicentre of the quake. #OperationMaitri in full swing. pic.twitter.com/AJ3IfsHw1l

— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) May 1, 2015

• An expert says the Nepal earthquake was caused due to tectonic activities in sub-continental thrust which passes through Patna in India to western part of Kathmandu.
• With help coming from all corners of the world, Nepal is facing a daunting task of managing relief and ensuring that the essential items, ready-to-eat food, medicines, tents and other relief material reach the places where these are most needed. 
• Nepal`s earthquake survivors thank India for its prompt response. 
• Disposal of the hundreds of bodies still being found six days after the 7.8 magnitude quake was becoming a problem for officials, who have ordered immediate cremations.
• A group of Nepalese, who make their living in India, were today headed home in the hope of meeting their loved ones with whom they have not been able to establish contact since the devastating earthquake. 
• After reviewing the situation in Nepal, India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval says there has been a lot of damage. But Nepalese and Indian Army are working in tandem. He adds rescue and relief operations are in full swing.
• Earthquake in Nepal has given the nation a welcome gift: several underground water channels have suddenly opened up and water has started gushing out from them.
• According to Nepal's Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat, Nepal would need at least USD 2 billion to rebuild homes, hospitals, government offices and historic buildings, and appealed for help from international donors.
• Nepal's Information Minister Minendra Rijal says the government would provide USD 1,000 in immediate assistance to the families of those killed, as well as USD 400 for cremation or burial.
• Fresh aftershocks and the stench of rotting bodies have made it hard for nervous earthquake survivors to return to their homes.
• The first Royal Australian Air Force flights today evacuated more than 100 people, including 66 Australians out of Kathmandu, after delivering 15 tonnes of aid for Nepal.
• Fruit, bread and other perishable commodities have begun to rot as vehicles carrying relief material from India to quake-hit Nepal wait at a clogged border crossing. 
• Two senior United Nations and European Union officials have arrived in Kathmandu to assess the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. Both officials -- Valerie Amos, the UN under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides -- arrived on Thursday, Kantipur News reported.
• Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae visits a Field Hospital being run by the rapid action medical team.
  

  #NepalEarthquake Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae visiting a Field Hospital being run by the RAMT. @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/ner91xdoxC

  — Sitanshu Kar (@SpokespersonMoD) May 1, 2015

• As many as 12,064 houses have been reported destroyed in Nepal quake.
• Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval reach quake-hit Nepal to oversee relief operations.
• Rescuers from over 20 countries have been taking part in the search for survivors in the rubble-strewn capital Kathmandu as well as far-flung rural areas near the epicentre.
• Red Cross warns of "total devastation" in remote areas of Nepal following the earthquake.
• Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will visit quake-hit Kathmandu today. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will also be accompanying the Foreign Secretary.
• Nepal`s government is struggling to deal with the scale of the disaster.
• The death toll in Nepal from last weekend`s devastating earthquake has risen to 6,204, the National Emergency Operations Centre said in its latest update today. A further 13,932 people were injured in Saturday`s 7.8-magnitude quake, added the centre.
• The International Monetary Fund says it is ready to extend aid to Nepal and will send a team to assess the situation "as soon as possible".
• The United Nations` Food and Agricultural Organisation issues an appeal for USD 8 million in donations urgently needed to help farmers and avert a crisis in the food supply.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night telephoned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modia and thanked him for helping Israel in evacuating its citizens from quake-hit Nepal. 
• A significant number of people are still living on the roadside or open ground in Kathmandu, six days after the 7.8-magnitude quake.