Red Cross teams continue delivering aid following second Nepal earthquake

Red Cross teams in Nepal are continuing to provide life-saving assistance to those affected by a second earthquake that struck on May 12. Many of the individuals in need were already struggling to cope after an earthquake shook the region on April 25.

At the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) field hospital located high up in the mountains in Dhunche, the team witnessed a dramatic landslide when a nearby hillside collapsed into the valley below.

“The combination of rains and aftershocks now makes our job even more challenging as the roads become highly perilous,” explains Martin Faller, head of operations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Asia Pacific. “[This] earthquake has dealt a double blow to many of the same people who were hit by the 25 April quake. More people will now be in need of emergency shelter but they will also need support dealing with the trauma they have experienced. People are very scared.”

Prior to the May 12 earthquake, the Canadian Red Cross was providing health services in two remote locations – with 17 members in Dhunche and a team of nine in Khukondole. However, the team in Khukondole has been evacuated until further notice due to road closures that made it difficult and unsafe to reach patients or for patients to reach the unit. The Canadian Red Cross is considering returning in a mobile configuration.