Nepal earthquake: UK government gives £5m

1 hour ago
 From the section Uk


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The UK government has given £5m to help people affected by the Nepal earthquake, which has killed at least 2,500 people.
The Department for International Development said it had released £3m to address immediate needs on the ground, and £2m will be given to the Red Cross.
A number of Britons have been caught up in Saturday's earthquake and the powerful aftershock felt on Sunday.
At least 17 people have been killed in avalanches on Mount Everest.
Climbers and their guides have been cut off from Everest's devastated base camp, unable to come down because climbing ropes and ladders have been swept away.
Rescuers told the BBC the mountaineers were waiting to be rescued by helicopter but bad weather had hampered efforts.

It has been confirmed that 17 people have been killed on Mount Everest - the mountain's worst-ever tragedy
The exact number of stranded mountaineers is not known but the Nepalese government said more than 50 climbers had been rescued.
The earthquake struck in the midst of the spring season in Nepal, when most of the attempts to climb mountains in the region are made.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said "we would expect there to be several hundred British nationals in Nepal" but there are currently no reports of any killed or injured.
"British embassy staff have helped over 200 British nationals who've presented at the embassy directly," he said.
The Foreign Office (FCO) has released an emergency number +44 (0) 207 008 0000 for people worried about loved ones who may have been in the area at the time.
'Swaying streets'
A British couple on their honeymoon are among a number of Britons caught up in the earthquake and subsequent avalanches in the Everest area.

Alex Schneider (l)and Sam Chappatte (r) were making their second attempt at Everest
Alex Schneider and Sam Chappatte, who are safe but cut off at a Mt Everest camp, described seeing an "avalanche coming straight" at them.
Alex Staniforth, 19 from Chester, who is also stranded at camp one, texted via satellite phone on Sunday to say his team will spend another night there because "the weather has drawn in making helicopter entry dangerous".
Tom Elphinstone and Zara Carey, both 26 and from London, had been hiking the Annapurna circuit in western Nepal and were in the town of Tansen when the earthquake hit.
They have told family members of "swaying streets" and being in a building which moved "like a ship" with "plaster falling off the walls".

Tom Elphinstone and his girlfriend Zara Carey were travelling in western Nepal when they were caught up in the earthquake
International Development Secretary Justine Greening, who chaired an emergency meeting about Nepal on Sunday, said the funds could be fast-tracked to aid workers so they could provide supplies including clean water, shelter, household items and blankets.
"We are also sending humanitarian experts from the UK to provide urgent support on the ground," she added.
Several British charities are sending funds and teams to the region, and rescue organisations are deploying specialists:
A team of 16 from Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters is set to fly out from London
Eight volunteers are set to travel to the country with Salisbury-based charity Serve On as part of its International Rescue Team
Save the Children is making an initial allocation of £300,000 from its Children's Emergency Fund
Christian Aid has made an initial £50,000 available to help victims.