KATHMANDU, Nov 5: Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka has paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the recent earthquake in Jajarkot, including Sarita Singh, deputy mayor of Nalgad Municipality, Jajarkot.

The DPM paid tribute to the deputy mayor Singh by draping her body with the national flag during a mass cremation organized for the earthquake victims on the bank of the Triveni River in Jajarkot on Sunday afternoon.

Chief Minister of Karnali Province Raj Kumar Sharma was also present on the occasion.

DPM Khadka said that the government has kept medical treatment, relief and rehabilitation of the earthquake survivors in priority. Stating that the government was successful in rescuing the quake-injured people in a single day by mobilizing the entire state apparatus, he said the distribution of relief to the survivors has begun from Sunday itself.

"We have dispatched the relief materials in such a way they will reach all the earthquake-affected people within two days. More relief is on the way. We will distribute the relief at the same pace we carried out the rescue operation," he said, adding that the reconstruction works would be started immediately after the relief distribution is over.

The earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale at 11:47 pm on Friday, with its epicenter in Jajarkot, resulted in significant casualties and damage to properties. So far 157 have been confirmed dead in the quake.

(RSS)

 
• earthquake
 
• Jajarkot
 
• cremation