
As efforts continue to rescue survivors from beneath the mounds of rubble across Kathmandu, the grieving Nepalese nation has begun the grim and daunting task of cremating the thousands of victims who were killed during Saturday's devastating earthquake.

With the death toll now standing at more than 4,000, mass cremations have been taking place next to the Bagmati river, the waterway which divides the Nepalese capital, as mourning families attempt to give their loved one the honourable send-off so revered in Hindu tradition.

Today, plumes of white, acrid smoke could be seen floating across Kathmandu, as hundreds of bodies were burned in the ghats beside the river.

Around these ceremonies, families gathered, wailing in grief for their loved ones. Scores of dead children were wrapped in orange and gold cloth on the ground, as their relatives prayed for their souls in heartbreaking desperation.

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Honouring the dead: Volunteers are facing the daunting task of burning the bodies of earthquake victims following the tremor on Saturday

Flames: Family members stand next to the burning pyre of a family member at a cremation ground following the devastating earthquake

Despite the sheer number of victims, mourning families are desperate to give their loved one the honourable send-off so revered in the Hindu tradition

Mass: The cremations, which have been non-stop for three days, have been taking place next to the Bagmati river which divides Kathmandu

'People are conducting the last rites wherever they can and without following the proper rituals,' a witness told IANS

Today, plumes of white smoke could be seen floating across Kathmandu, as hundreds of bodies were burned in the ghats beside the river

Almost every available space along the Bagmati river's banks and on its sandbank islands had been taken by the pyres

Running out: The wood necessary to build the thousands of pyres which are used to burn the dead has started to run out

Family members carry a body as they take it for burial today in Kathmandu. The search operation to find survivors is still continuing

Around these ceremonies, families gathered, wailing in grief for their loved ones. Scores of dead children were wrapped in orange and gold cloth on the ground, as their loved ones prayed for their souls in heartbreaking desperation

The bodies of victims from the earthquake that hit Nepal and surrounding countries lie on the ground before being cremated

Meanwhile, corpses continued to line the streets of the city, lying among three-day-old debris still evident from the tremor which wreaked havoc through the Himalayan region.

As the death toll surpassed 4,000, there began to be a desperate shortage of the wood used to build the pyres. Some 250kg of wood is needed for each individual cremation.

The areas where cremation rites can take place are also in short supply. Despite more being designated along the river to accommodate the earthquake victims, relatives are still jostling for space along the banks and are having to conduct the ceremonies in whatever tiny space they can find.

'People are conducting the last rites wherever they can and without following the proper rituals,' a witness told IANS.

The sacred Hindu Pashupatinath Temple is also becoming increasingly unable to cope with the overwhelming influx of bodies.

A boy cries over the body of his father at a cremation ground. Rescue efforts are still ongoing to track down survivors from the quake

A body is covered with a blanket close to the scene of a multi-cremation process at Bhaktapur, Nepal

The body of one of the victims is laid on the banks of the river, ready for cremation, covered in a blanket and bank notes

Relatives of a victim who died in Saturday's earthquake mourn and say prayers before their loved one's body is cremated along the river

A woman weeps and raises a hand to her head as she watches the cremation of a loved one at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu

Family members comfort one another during one of the services at the temple. The temple has been overwhelmed with the number of dead bodies

A young woman breaks down in tears during the cremation of an earthquake victim, near Kathmandu. The tremor struck on Saturday

Some 500 bodies have been arriving at the temple per day, compared to the usual daily average of around 30

Monika Basnet, 15, hold her brother Munal, 10, during the cremation of their father at Pashupatinath temple. He was one of the thousands of people who were killed in Saturday's earthquake

Since the tremor rocked the Nepali capital on Saturday, 500 bodies have been arriving per day at the temple, compared to their usual daily average of around 30. Volunteers have been arriving at the temple to help decorate the bodies and comfort the mourners.

The magnitude-7.8 quake was the worst to hit Nepal in eight decades and caused damage and fatalities in neighbouring countries. It destroyed swathes of the oldest neighborhoods in Kathmandu and was strong enough to be felt all across parts of India, Bangladesh, Tibet and Pakistan.

Since Saturday, rescuers, some wearing face masks to keep out the dust, have been scrambling over mounds of splintered timber and broken bricks in the hope of finding survivors. Some have used their bare hands to fill small white buckets with dirt and rock.

This afternoon, the death toll reached 4,000.

A woman cries as the body of her relative is prepared for cremation along the river bank in the devastated Nepalese capital

Volunteers have been arriving to help decorate the bodies, comfort the mourners and pray for the souls of the dead. They have also been carrying out the cremations

A man stands next to the burning pyre of a family member at an overwhelmed cremation ground in Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu

The magnitude-7.8 quake was the worst to hit Nepal in eight decades and caused damage and fatalities in neighbouring countries

Relatives of a quake victim clutch onto one another in heartbreaking silence as they watch their loved one being cremated in Kathmandu

Meanwhile, overwhelmed authorities are trying to cope with a shortage of drinking water and food, as well as the threat of disease.

The sick and wounded were lying out in the open in Kathmandu, unable to find beds in the devastated city's hospitals. Surgeons set up an operating theatre inside a tent in the grounds of Kathmandu Medical College.

And high in the Himalayas, hundreds of climbers were staying put at the Mount Everest base camp where a huge avalanche after the earthquake killed 17 people in the single worst disaster to hit the world's highest mountain.

A desperate helicopter rescue mission was under way today, with one British mountaineer there speaking of a 'race against time' to pluck around 120 people to safety as food runs out.



