Nepal Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 6,000 With Thousands Still Unaccounted For

The death toll following the massive earthquake in Nepal has reached over 6,000 as rescue teams continue to search the rubble in major cities and villages in the hopes of finding survivors.

A home ministry official announced this week that 6,134 have been confirmed dead after last Saturday's massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, with another 13,906 injured. Thousands are still reportedly unaccounted for.

Nepal's finance minister Ram Sharan Mahat estimated this week that $2 billion would be needed to rebuild hospitals, government buildings and homes, as many structures crumbled during the natural disaster, leaving residents homeless and without running water or food.

"This is just an initial estimate and it will take time to assess the extent of damage and calculate the cost of rebuilding," Mahat told The Guardian.

The Red Cross also announced this week that towns near the epicenter of Saturday's quake have suffered "almost total devastation," with assessment teams telling the BBC that many survivors are now in "desperate situations" as they try to find shelter, clean water and food.

Others in Nepal have tried desperately to find their loved ones, with many people living in rural villages still unaccounted for due to the delayed rescue efforts in hard-to-access mountain towns.

"My wife and my relatives are every day crying," Ram Tamang, who continues to search for five family members, told the Associated Press. "They need to reach them as soon as possible."