Nepal:

Monsoon cuts off quake-hit villages

For the villagers of Sirdibas in Nepal, one of hundreds of isolated mountain communities dotting the vast Himalayan region, a trip to the nearest market meant a difficult three-day journey by donkey even before the recent 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Since the quake struck on April 25, however, flattening villages and killing more than 8,700 people, that rudimentary trail has been cut off, and the monsoon rains mean it cannot be repaired for months.

Almost every house in Sirdibas, in the worst-hit district of Gorkha west of the capital Kathmandu, was damaged by the quake – a story echoed in countless communities across Nepal, where at least half a million homes were destroyed.

But villagers say getting supplies is the biggest battle – a worry that becomes even more pressing as the monsoon nears.

(AFP)