Nepal quake death toll hits 8500: No new buildings now

KATHMANDU, May 18:  The number of people killed in Nepal by two major earthquakes recently has surpassed 8,500, making the disaster the deadliest to hit the Himalayan country on record. Rescuers are still searching for dozens of people still missing in remote villages. Nepal Monday imposed a two-month moratorium on the start of new building projects and limited current construction to two storeys after recent deadly earthquakes destroyed nearly half a million homes. Officials said the move would give authorities time to review building standards in the wake of a 7.8-magnitude quake on April 25 and a smaller one last week that reduced much of the capital Kathmandu to rubble.
    — Agencies