WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States government is advising US citizens not to travel to Nepal in light of the risks associated with the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25 that killed more than 6000 people and caused widespread material damage, the US Department of State stated in a statement.
“The Department of State warns US citizens of the risks of travel to Nepal and recommends that they defer non-essential travel there following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25,” the statement read on Friday.
The State Department noted that aftershocks of significant magnitude are likely, adding that Nepalese infrastructure is fragile and “access to basic resources, including healthcare could be limited.”
US citizens and their families in Nepal, it added, should closely watch the media to determine what their “next steps” will be.
More than 10,000 people have been injured in Nepal in the tremor and the aftershocks that followed, according to the United Nations. Some 70,000 houses were destroyed and 530,000 more were damaged across the country.
The US has offered financial and technical assistance to the government of Nepal to cope with the disaster.
