Edmonton man determined to raise money for earthquake victims

The first thing Ai Gurung did after he heard about Tuesday's 7.3 earthquake in Nepal — the second in just over two weeks — was pick up the phone.

Ai Gurung lives in Edmonton. His brother, Ashok, lives in Kathmandu.

By the time the Canadian call came ringing through Ashok's landline in Nepal, he had already been living in fear for hours.

"It felt like a train was coming under my head," said Ashok, 50, the youngest sibling of 11 children, and the only one in the family who lives near the area the quake hit.

In shock, he jumped up and ran outside. Afterward he counted 13 aftershocks. Tremors in the ground — that reverberated as cold fear down his spine.

"I am absolutely scared. I cannot go out," he said.

Word spread quickly of the aftermath in that city: taxis and motorcycle drivers getting caught in landslides, two multi-storey buildings collapsing, older homes falling down.

At least 37 people were killed.

About 50 people took shelter outside Ashok's home in his large open garden. Others set up tents in the road, trying to escape any debris that may still fall from buildings.

As night fell, Ashok said those people were scared to go back into their houses. And scared to go to sleep.

Help from Canada

Back in Canada, 53-year-old Ai Gurung said he's determined to raise more money for the victims of both disasters.

"It's like adding salt to the wound," said the past-president of the Nepalese-Canadian Society of Edmonton.

His home in Nepal collapsed during the last disaster. He also fielded phone calls from people directly impacted.

"We feel so sad. I heard that so many people had been trapped in the debris. They even called my cellphone and (said), 'Oh, I am here, please rescue me.'"

Ai Gurung said rescue efforts have been hampered because of a lack of communication and resources.

"People did not receive the help on time, so it was so sad that they had to suffer," he said.

The earthquake that hit on April 25 killed more than 8,000 people and injured more than 17,800.

Canada sent a medical assistance team of 14 people and 135 Canadian Armed Forces members to Nepal after the last disaster. Both groups told CBC Tuesday their people are all safe.