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Property worth around Rs 6 million was reduced to ashes when a fire completely destroyed five shops at the City Market in Jitpur of Jitpur Simara Sub-Metropolitan City-7 on Sunday. The fire had started from the shop of local trader Anil Sah due to electric short circuit at around 6 am today. The blaze was taken under control with the help of Nepal Police and Armed Police force personnel and locals backed by fire engines after around three hours. Police said that they are looking into the case.

Cold, hunger and despair gripped hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria three days ago as the death toll passed 20,000 on Thursday, Reutres reported.

The rescue of a 2-year-old boy after 79 hours trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, and several other people raised spirits among weary search crews. But hopes were fading that many more would be found alive in the ruins of towns and cities.

The death toll across both countries has now surpassed the more than 17,000 killed in 1999 when a similarly powerful earthquake hit northwest Turkey.

A Turkish official said the disaster posed “very serious difficulties” for the holding of an election scheduled for May 14 in which President Tayyip Erdogan has been expected to face his toughest challenge in two decades in power.

With anger simmering over delays in the delivery of aid and getting the rescue effort underway, the disaster is likely to play into the vote if it goes ahead.

The first U.N. convoy carrying aid to stricken Syrians crossed over the border from Turkey.

In Syria’s Idlib province, Munira Mohammad, a mother of four who fled Aleppo after the quake, said: “It is all children here, and we need heating and supplies. Last night we couldn’t sleep because it was so cold. It is very bad.”

Hundreds of thousands of people in both countries have been left homeless in the middle of winter. Many have camped out in makeshift shelters in supermarket car parks, mosques, roadsides or amid the ruins, often desperate for food, water and heat, according to Reuters.

Some 40% of buildings in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, epicentre of the tremor, are damaged, according to a preliminary report by Turkey’s Bogazici University.

The government has suspended Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) General Manager Premnath Thakur. Thakur was suspended as per the ministerial level decision after he was found asking for bribes with the representatives of the Thai Smile Airlines. The Tourism Ministry spokesperson Rajendra Kumar KC said that Thakur was suspended after he was found taking bribes during the investigation. “A letter has been sent to the Director General of the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority as per the ministerial level decision to suspend Thakur from the post of General Manager,” read a statement issued by the Tourism Ministry on Friday. “The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has been urged to carry out further investigation on the matter.”    

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Secretary General Jagan Chapagain has pledged to ensure additional humanitarian assistance to Nepal. Chapagain, who arrived here Saturday on the four-day visit, said he was already ready to provide more humanitarian assistance to Nepal. This is second visit to Nepal after he assumed the post of IFRC General Secretary in February 2020. Before departing for Geneva following the completion of his visit today, he applauded the role of Nepal Red Cross Society in building safe and resilient societies in partnership with the government. A high-level delegation from the IFRC Nepal was there to see off the Secretary General at a VVIP lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport. Describing the Red Cross as the largest humanitarian assistance body, he insisted on the collective efforts to further strengthen its movement. During his stay here, the IFRC Secretary General had separate meetings with the senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his meetings with political leadership, he sought their help to further promote the Red Cross movement. He also attended the ceremony to launch the IFRC ‘World Disasters Report’.  The IFRC assistance are majorly focused on prevention, mitigation and response of natural and human-caused disasters and the climate change.