Samaritan's Purse Reports 'Destruction, Death and Tragedy' After Nepal Earthquake

The Christian aid group Samaritan's Purse spoke out this week regarding the massive destruction after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal last weekend, describing the aftermath as "destruction, death and tragedy."

Samaritan's Purse team leader Patrick Seger said in an update from Tuesday that several victims of the recent natural disaster have been forced to sleep in the street, either because their homes were destroyed or because they fear the buildings left standing will topple at any moment.

 "There are a lot of people sleeping out in the streets," Seger said Tuesday. "They are fearful of the buildings and don't want to sleep inside. They are sleeping in the rain because they don't have any other shelter."

According to the Samaritan's Purse release, the Christian aid organization is offering various types of aid, including food, clean water, and medical care, to those affected by the major natural disaster.

"There's a lot of hurting people here," Seger said. "A lot of people lost their homes and lost their incomes. They're trying to figure out what they're going to do."

Officials in Nepal have said that the death toll for the recent earthquake has surpassed 5,000, adding that the number may still climb as rescuers gain access to rural villages.

The United Nations announced this week that 1.4 million people are in need of food assistance following the earthquake, adding that it would be allocating $15 million from its emergency fund to aid in Nepal's recovery.

Media reports indicate that some villagers in rural parts of Nepal staged a protest this week in which they blocked trucks carrying goods from passing, arguing that the trucks are only delivering food and other necessary supplies to district centers.