Nepal earthquake: Nepal trio rescued after eight days

Prem Kumari Khanal, 68, piles corrugated sheets of tin in the destroyed village of Pokharidanda, near the epicenter of the April 25 massive earthquake. Photo / AP

Two women and one man were rescued alive in north-east Nepal yesterday, eight days after the earthquake that hit the Himalayan country.

A police spokesman said the trio were pulled to safety by security forces at Kerabari village.

He said two were buried under a collapsed mud house, while the other was rescued from under earth after being swept away by a landslide triggered by the earthquake.

Concern is mounting that aid has been slow in reaching those who need it most after the disaster, which has killed more than 7040 people.

This worry is reflected in a wooden sign that stands at the entrance to the mountain village of Pauwathok. Cobbled together from the debris of flattened homes, it reads: "WE NEED HELP. PLEASE HELP."

The village, perched on a ridge about 1100m above sea level is just 50km east of Kathmandu, Nepal's capital. But villagers say not one government official, not one soldier has visited since the massive quake struck.

Yesterday, a convoy of covered trucks approached Pauwathok, apparently transporting aid and escorted by police carrying automatic weapons. Hungry residents ran towards them. The trucksdid not stop.

"Are we invisible to you?" a voice among the crowd screamed as the trucks drove out of sight.

?Runway cracks forced Nepal to close Kathmandu airport yesterday to large aircraft delivering aid. UN

It was built to handle only medium-size jets, not the large planes that have been flying in supplies and aid personnel.