10 Czech Tourists Missing After Nepal Earthquake

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Out of the 45 Czech tourists who were in Nepal when it was hit by a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Saturday, 10 are still missing, the Czech Foreign Ministry has announced.

According to the ministry's spokeswoman, Michaela Lagronova, the ministry has tried to establish contact with the 45 Czech tourists who were in Nepal. Some information was obtained on 35 of the tourists, while the fate of the remaining 10 remains unknown, Lagronova told journalists on Saturday evening.

Communication lines have been seriously affected by the Saturday quake, which took the lives of over 1,500 people. The earthquake occurred about 82 kilometres (51 miles) northwest of Kathmandu, triggering avalanches on Mount Everest, which is located about 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of Nepal's capital. Hundreds of people are now feared to be trapped under collapsed buildings or buried in snow.

Several Indian regions along the Nepalese border were also affected by the earthquake.

A number of world nations, including India and Israel, have offered to help Nepal in its emergency relief efforts, allocating financial aid and rescue teams.

Norway's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that it was giving Nepal 30 million NOK ($3.8 million) in initial support. Meanwhile Italy has allocated €300,000 ($325,000) in emergency aid to Nepal, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry.

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said on Saturday that it was ready to send some 100 highly skilled professional rescue workers to Nepal.