Nepal minister says quake toll will climb ‘much higher’

Kathmandu: The death toll from a massive quake in Nepal will climb "much higher" as emergency workers reach remote villages, the mountainous country´s finance minister said Sunday.

"There are still villages where we know that all houses have been destroyed, but have not yet been able to reach. The aftershocks have not receded and we expect the final casualty numbers to climb much higher," said Ram Sharan Mahat.

The death toll in Nepal from last weekend’s devastating earthquake has risen to 7,040, an official from the National Emergency Operations Centre said on Sunday.

More than 14,000 other people were injured in the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit the Himalayan nation on August 25, the centre’s duty officer said.

“But the figure (for the number killed) is likely to rise,” the officer said.
More than 100 people in neighbouring India and China also died in the quake, officials say.