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Doctors serving at the Patan Hospital in Lalitpur have staged a demonstration shutting down all the services except for emergency demanding security.

The doctors staged the demonstration saying that the relatives of the patients physically assaulted the doctors and health workers working at the hospital.

Krishna Nagarkoti (67) of Makwanpur and Janamaya Rai (97) of Okhaldhunga had died recently while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Following the incident, the relatives of the deceased physically assaulted the doctors and medical staff.

The doctors carrying placards staged the demonstration demanding that the violence against the health workers be stopped.

Patan Hospital doctor Bimal Pandey said that the doctors staged the protest demanding security.

They said that they could not provide regular services until the guilty is brought the book.

Korala entry point at Nepal-China border will be opened from November 13.

With this, Korala border point, which has been closed for four years, will be opened from next Monday.

During his visit to China, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had urged the Chinese government to open the closed border points.

Following his request, preparations are being made to officially open the Nepal-China border on the northern side.

The Chinese side has invited local traders and the general public of Lomanthang and Loghekar Damodarkunda for the same, Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality Chairman Lopsang Chomphel Bista said.

He said that the people have been notified to bring citizenship certificates along with the border pass to enter China for the first time.

“The Chinese side has urged the people entering the border to bring citizenship certificates along with border passes to collect detailed information,” Bista said.

With the decision of the Chinese side to open the Korala border point, preparations are also being made for the inauguration program, Lomanthang Rural Municipality Chairman Tashi Nurbu Gurung said.

He said that high-ranking officials from the Chinese side will attend the inauguration program.

The Mustang administration had distributed border passes to 980 people in the first phase.

The border point had remained closed since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 400 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 115, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 115, 400 per tola on Sunday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 114, 450 per tola. It was traded at Rs 114, 850.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,415 per tola today.

The partial impact of westerly wind will cause brief rainfall and snowfall in some areas of high hills and mountains for three days.

The weather forecast bulletin has stated that some places in the hilly region in the country are predicted to have brief rainfall along with thunder and lightning, while snowfall in upper hilly and mountainous areas.

However, the other places will have clear weather.

The Nepali Congress has provided Rs 5 million to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund as a contribution to support the earthquake victims.

The Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba handed over the cheque of Rs 5 million to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Nepali Congress President Deuba, General Secretary duo Bishwo Prakash Sharma and Gagan Kumar Thapa among others had reached Baluwar to hand over the cheque for the rescue and relief of the people affected by the earthquake in Jajarkot and Rukum West.

Earlier, the Congress had announced to provide Rs 5 million to the government’s fund for the rescue, relief and rehabilitation of the earthquake-affected people.

As many as 157 people died and over 200 were injured after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake jolted west Nepal on Friday night.

Almost half of those killed in the earthquake on Friday were children, it has been found. According to data with the police, 78 of the 153 people killed in the quake on the night of Nov 3 were children. Of the deceased children, 50 died in Jajarkot and 28 in Rukum West due to the quake, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Santosh Roka.

Twenty eight of 52 people who died in the quake in Rukum West were children, said the district police chief Namraj Bhattarai. “Most of the deceased in Rukum West were children. Two 10-month-old children have also lost their lives,” he said. According to the Jajarkot police, of the 105 deceased in Jajarkot, 50 were children, 33 women and 18 men. In Rukum West, 16 women and eight men died in the quake.

Meanwhile, the quake-affected people have been waiting for relief to arrive.

Two persons died in a taxi accident at Malkatibang in Dhorpatan-2 of Baglung.

The deceased have been identified as Hom Bahadur Pun (28) of Pakhute, Dhorpatan-2, and Ashwin Pariyar (32) of Chhisphant of Badigad-6 in the district.

The tragedy occurred when the taxi (Dha 1 Ja 994) heading towards Dhorpatan from Badigad fell some 100 meters down the road.

Both of them died on the spot, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police, Madan KC.

President Ram Chandra Paudel is leaving for earthquake hit districts, Jajarkot and Rukum Paschim, today.

President's press advisor Kiran Pokharel informed that President Paudel would visit the quake affected districts to take stock of the situation of disaster survivors.

In the wake of the earthquake that occurred last Friday, President Paudel also postponed his scheduled visit to Europe from November 8.

Thousands of people rendered homeless after Friday’s earthquake are facing a shortage of food, tents and medicine. Though government ministers are pouring in the affected areas and the government is talking about providing essentials to the people, the situation on the ground is different.

Daily essentials are yet to reach several places and people including children are living under the open sky in the absence of tents. According to Suresh BK, a resident of Chiuritol, 13 people lost their lives in the village while several others were injured in the earthquake. At least 56 houses in the village were completely destroyed while 110 houses, although still standing, have become inhabitable, said BK.

The villagers have been waiting for help to arrive. “But so far, we have not received any. All our crops, grains, food, clothes and other valuables lie buried in the debris. We haven’t been able to retrieve anything as there are no security personnel to help us,” he said. “It is unbearably cold outside and none of us have had any sleep since Friday night.” Though dozens of organizations have pledged to provide aid to earthquake victims, they are yet to reach the affected people.

Rescue and search teams said on Monday that the first part of their mission—to rescue survivors, get the injured to treatment and search for bodies—was over. “Now we are working on the second phase of our work to distribute relief material, get aid to the villagers, and at the same time we are collecting details about the damages,” government official Harish Chandra Sharma said. 

In Chepare, villagers were going through piles of rocks and logs that used to be their homes on Monday, looking for anything they could salvage. “Most of what belonged to us is under the rubble, all our beds, clothes, whatever jewelry and money we had, it's all under there,” Nirmala Sharma said, pointing to her wrecked home.

She said they got a tent and some food on Sunday night. Authorities distributed rice, oil, instant noodles and salt in the village, to last them for a few days. Tarpaulin and plastic sheets made for temporary shelters for a lucky few while thousands of others spent a third night in the cold.

Mina Bika said her family was sleeping on Friday night when the ceiling fell and buried them. A relative rescued them. Her husband was badly injured and taken to hospital in the town of Surkhet while she and the couple's two sons were only lightly hurt.

“It felt like the world had collapsed and I was not sure if anyone had even survived and would be able to help,” she said. Most of the homes in the villages in the districts of Jajarkot and Rukum—where houses are traditionally built by stacking rocks and logs—either collapsed or were severely damaged but even the few buildings made out of concrete were also damaged.

Almost half of those killed in the earthquake on Friday were children, it has been found. According to data with the police, 78 of the 153 people killed in the quake on the night of Nov 3 were children. Of the deceased children, 50 died in Jajarkot and 28 in Rukum West due to the quake, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Santosh Roka.

Twenty eight of 52 people who died in the quake in Rukum West were children, said the district police chief Namraj Bhattarai. “Most of the deceased in Rukum West were children. Two 10-month-old children have also lost their lives,” he said. According to the Jajarkot police, of the 105 deceased in Jajarkot, 50 were children, 33 women and 18 men. In Rukum West, 16 women and eight men died in the quake.

Sixteen thousand five hundred and seventy houses have been completely destroyed due to the earthquake in the six local levels in Rukum Paschim. Chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee and Chief District Officer, Hari Prasad Panta, said that this number might increase as data collection is still under way in the district. Based on the data presented by the municipality mayors and the rural municipality chairpersons in the Committee meeting, the highest number of houses have been damaged in Aathbiskot Municipality of the district. It is stated that 7,148 houses have suffered complete damage in Aathbiskot Municipality, followed by 3,146 houses in Sanibheri Rural Municipality.

Seven hundred and twenty-two houses in Sanibheri have been partially damaged by the Friday night tremor. Similarly, 1987 houses have been completely damaged and 4.374 houses partly damaged in Chaurajahari Municipality while 2,300 houses have been completely destroyed and 3,500 partially damaged in Musikot Municipality. Likewise, 1935 houses have been completely damaged and 1,258 houses partially damaged in Triveni Rural Municipality while 18 houses have suffered complete damage and 107 houses partial damage in Banfikot Rural Municipality, it is stated. 

Agencies