Nepal Death Toll Tops 5,000; At Least 1.4 Million Need Food Aid

Updated at 8:55 a.m. ET

More than 5,000 people are confirmed dead from Saturday's earthquake just outside Kathmandu, Nepal. Nearly 11,000 more were injured, according to Nepal's National Emergency Operation Center.

From Kathmandu, NPR's Kirk Siegler reports that strong tremors are continuing:

"We had an official bulletin last night, telling people that it was OK for them to return home and sleep indoors tonight. Shortly after that bulletin went out, we had a 4.8 aftershock. So, things still very much evolving here — and a lot of scared and nervous people."

The U.S. State Department confirmed late Monday that four Americans were among those killed in the earthquake, all at an avalanche-struck Mount Everest base camp. The fatalities included a Colorado-based documentary filmmaker and a Google executive, the AP reported.

The BBC reports that 1.4 million of the 8 million people affected need food aid, citing the United Nations saying that there also are severe shortages of body bags and medical supplies.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Credit: Alyson Hurt/NPR

Meanwhile, Reuters reports Nepalis including Pradip Subba of Kathmandu — frustrated with a lack of aid so far — continue to sift through the rubble by themselves.

" 'Our hands are the only machine right now,' said the 27-year-old, part of a group of locals pulling out blocks of concrete with cloth masks over their faces to ward off the stench of rotting bodies. 'There is just no one from the government or the army to help us.' "

USAID has provided a list of recommended nongovernmental organizations that can take donations to assist those affected by the earthquake.