Nepal earthquake: Survivors cremate the dead, face uncertain future

Funeral pyres burn as sunset approaches in Jajarkot, Nepal

Loud wails fill a riverside village in western Nepal that was struck by a powerful earthquake last Friday.

Grieving survivors have gathered around funeral pyres to send off 13 people who died in the 6.4-magnitude quake.

As they grieve their loved ones, survivors in the remote Jajarkot district worry about their future.

They have been sleeping outdoors in the cold since the earthquake flattened their homes and are in dire need of aid.

Jajarkot, in Karnali province, was one of the worst-hit areas in Friday's earthquake, which left 157 people dead and more than 300 others wounded.

Some of the mourners by the Thuli Bheri river banks cried to the point of fainting and were taken to hospital by ambulance.

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Among those cremated was Hire Kami, who had taken a break from his work in India to attend the Tihar light festival in Jajarkot.

His relative Hattiram Mahar said he tried to rescue him from the rubble. He pointed the BBC to the spot where Hire Kami was found gasping for life and asked people not to step on it.

People dug for survivors using bowls, plates and household items, Hattiram Mahar said.

Hire Kami's friend, Hari Bahadur Chunara, also came to pay his respects.

He recalled how the earthquake struck in the middle of the night. "Cries gripped the entire village... None of us could think properly."

The funeral pyres were extinguished as the sun set. Eventually the survivors walked uphill towards the ruins of their village.

"There is no place to take shelter, perhaps relief materials will arrive," said Hari Bahadur Chunara.

Hattiram Mahar said he was worried for children spending another night in the cold, without a roof above their heads.

Earthquake survivors in Nepal grieve their dead

Further down the Thuli Beri river, in Aathbiskot, earthquake survivor Ganesh Malla was receiving treatment for his wounds.

He remembers being airlifted by helicopter to a hospital, where he is one of 30 survivors.

"My two daughters died," he said. "My wife and son are also injured, I don't even know where they are being treated."

Padam Giri, an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital, recalled the rush of patients in the aftermath of the quake.

"Some didn't even have clothes, so we provided that to them," he said.

Another Aathbiskot resident, Kul Bahadur Malla, appealed for help. "We victims lost our homes. At least for now, I request the government to make arrangements for sleeping and eating."

The epicentre of the quake was in Barekot, where the damage was not as severe as in Jajarkot.

Still, it caused mud and stone houses to collapse, Barekot resident Ganesh GC said.

However, the concrete houses of those who are more well-off were not damaged as extensively.

"Floods and landslides harass the poor," said Ganesh JC, a teacher.

"The earthquake too has attacked the poor," he added.