Two senior United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) officials have arrived in Kathmandu to assess the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25, media reported on Friday.
Both officials -- Valerie Amos, the UN under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides -- arrived on Thursday, Kantipur News reported.
According to a statement issued by the UN, Amos is scheduled to meet with government officials, humanitarian and international partners and the affected to understand the situation in depth.
Stylianides is slated to join humanitarian aid and civil protection experts from the EU who are deployed in Nepal to assess the needs and coordinate with international partners.
"I will assess the situation on the ground and determine how Europe can best continue to help in this hour of need," Stylianides said.
The visit comes after EU member countries mobilised a funding of three million euros (about $3 million) and dispersed its first response teams to Nepal where the quake has claimed over 6,000 lives.
So far, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Britain and Norway are participating in this joint effort.
--Indo-Asian News Service
ksk/pku/pgh/
