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week after devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal, full extent of disaster is still coming to light. United Nations has called for further support to aid rescue attempts. Only $53 million of the $415 million promised by countries has been given. The capital Kathmandu is struggling to deal with sheer enormity of destruction, while whole towns along length of Kathmandu Valley have been flattened. Hundreds of thousands of homes across impoverished Himalayan nation have been damaged or destroyed, leaving more than three million people sheltering under blue tarpaulins and in need of food and medicine.

Nepal’s Prime Minister, Sushil Koirala, has admitted that his government is overwhelmed by scale of disaster and is ill-equipped to cope. He requested helicopters to help with distribution of aid. However, logistics of this are being hampered by country's rugged terrain, which often makes it difficult for anything to be delivered by air. Many of roads have been swept away by avalanches and landslides. Further exacerbating problem is fact that Kathmandu's international airport has only one runway, which has hindered delivery of much-needed supplies. U.N. World Food Program warned that it would take time for aid to reach more remote communities.