The Nation April 28, 2015 1:25 pm

A Taiwan rescue team stands by at the Taoyuan airport before heading to Nepal today./AFP

Eight million people in Nepal need humanitarian assistance following the devastating earthquake on Saturday, the United Nations said Tuesday.
In its report, it said more than 1.4 million need food, especially as search and rescue teams reach more remote areas, many of which remain cut off due to road blockages and network failures. A day after the quake, the UN estimated the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance to hit 6 million. 
"Humanitarian aid is beginning to flow into the worst-affected areas, but much more is needed as the scale of this disaster becomes all too clear - including medical tents, medication, surgical kits and body bags," it said.
In response to the devastation, UN Humanitarian Chief, Valerie Amos on Tuesday released US$15 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to allow international humanitarian aid organisations to rapidly scale up operations and provide immediate assistance to people in desperate need.
"With the monsoon season just two months away, we will be in a race against time to ensure that people affected by the earthquake receive the aid they require and to prevent a secondary crisis," said Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos. 
A five-person team from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has already arrived in Kathmandu and a 22-person team of United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) is on its way to support the UN Resident Coordinator, the Humanitarian Country Team and the national authorities with response coordination, rapid needs assessment and information management.
As of Tuesday, according to the UN, at least 9 international Urban Search and Rescue teams have arrived from countries like Turkey, Spain and India, consisting of 287 personnel and 25 dogs, as well as foreign medical teams. A Humanitarian Staging Area (HSA) in Kathmandu International Airport has been set-up to avoid congestion at the main entry points of affected areas and ease the flow of life-saving commodities, where large-scale relief activities are being undertaken.