Nepalese people continue to need vital aid 2 months after devastating earthquake

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday that some 2.8 million of the Nepalese affected by a devastating earthquake continue to need vital humanitarian assistance two months after the quake.

"Despite the needs, only 36 percent of the 422 million (U.S.) dollars requested for humanitarian assistance has been received so far," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also called on all partners to work together towards the early recovery and reconstruction of Nepal's health care systems, Haq said. "The agency warns that the health of people who survived the earthquakes could be at risk if we do not prioritize efforts to rebuild and restore regular health services."

An international conference was convened in Nepal on Thursday to help its reconstruction efforts after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the country on April 25. The devastating earthquake and its repeated aftershocks have had a big toll on life, property, infrastructure, cultural heritage and the ambient natural environment of the country.