At around noon, local time, on April 25th, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, with its epicentre approximately 77 kilometres from the capital, Kathmandu. At least 5,000 people have died in the disaster and over 6,500 people have been injured. Approximately 6.6 million people live in the affected area, which includes the urban centres of Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Samaritan’s Purse disaster assistance response team (DART) members have arrived in Kathmandu and are collaborating with national partners to assess the damage and immediate needs. Eighteen additional staff members are also there, focusing their attention on helping affected households with emergency shelter, water, hygiene kits and other relief items.