Intl rescuers race against time; death toll could reach 10,000

Members of China International Search and Rescue Team (CISAR) carry out a survivor at the rescue site in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on April 28, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

The death toll from Saturday's earthquake could reach 10,000, Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala was quoted as saying by foreign media on Tuesday.

"The government is doing all it can for rescue and relief on a war footing," said the Prime Minister. "It is a challenge and a very difficult hour for Nepal."

According to the country's home (interior) ministry, the confirmed death toll stands at 4,349, with more than 7,000 have been injured.

More than 400,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged by the earthquake, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, including a 6.7-magnitude quake on Sunday afternoon, affecting more than 6.6 million people, according to the emergency operation center.

China has offered to provide Nepal with emergency aid worth 20 million yuan (about $3.4 million), and the first batch of relief materials were already on the way, transporting from Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, to the Himalayan country by chartered planes.

China's Blue Sky Rescue Team carries out detection before excavation at a quake debris site in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, April 28, 2015. [Photo by Zhao Yanrong/chinadaily.com.cn]

China rescues second survivor

China's search and rescue team successfully pulled another quake survivor out of the debris in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Tuesday as international aid groups race against time to save more people after the weekend's devastating earthquake.

After 34-hour rescue work, members of China International Search and Rescue Team (CISAR) found a Nepali man under a load-bearing wall at the bottom of a 7-storey collapsed building and lifted him out to safety.

The 21-year-old became the second survivor to be rescued by the Chinese rescuers, following a 16-year-old Nepali boy 30 hours ago on Sunday evening.

The 62-strong team, composed of 40 rescuers, 10 medical workers and 12 seismic experts, arrived Sunday noon in the Nepalese capital, making it the first heavy international rescue team to have reached Nepal since the country was struck by the 8.1 magnitude massive earthquake Saturday.

The team, taking with it six sniffer dogs and equipment needed for rescue efforts, also brought some emergency relief materials for the country, including tents, blankets and power generators.