Nepal asks foreign nations to end search & rescue operations India assures all help in rehabilitation

Kathmandu: Nepal has asked foreign countries to wrap up search and rescue operations nine days after a devastating earthquake killed more than 7,200 people, with no hope of finding survivors, Indian officials said. Dozens of countries sent teams to look for survivors after the Himalayan nation was hit by a 7.9 magnitude quake on April 25, its worst since 1934, but the Nepal government now believes the search and rescue work has been nearly completed. Chief of National Disaster Response Force which was among the first foreign organisations to arrive after the quake, said it had been asked by the Nepalese government to conclude its search and rescue operation. Many countries have pledged money that will be necessary to rebuild homes, hospitals and historic buildings. Others such as neighbouring India have sent trucks to deliver aid and deployed helicopters to rescue thousands of people from remote towns and villages.