Engineers check Kathmandu homes

More than a thousand engineers have been checking damaged houses in Nepal’s capital and advising people about whether they are safe.

About 13,000 families have requested inspections of their homes since the magnitude-7.8 earthquake near Kathmandu on April 25, Nepal Engineers Association general secretary Kishore Kumar Jha said. More than 7,600 people died in the quake.

The association, which has 2,000 civil and structural engineers, has set up phonelines for people to request inspections. “We have been receiving calls constantly. We are trying to reach as many people as possible,” Jha said.