Prince Harry. File photoKathmandu: Britain's Prince Harry, on a four-day tour of Nepal, visited centuries-old heritage sites on Sunday devastated by earthquakes last year and met some survivors, many of whom are still living in makeshift shelters.
Nearly 9,000 people were killed, 22,000 injured and close to a million homes were destroyed in the tiny Himalayan country in two earthquakes in April and May last year.
Tens of thousands of survivors are still living in huts made from tin sheets and tarpaulin as reconstruction has been delayed by political bickering over a new constitution.
"I pay my respects to those who perished and hope to do what I can to shine a spotlight on the resolve and resilience of the Nepalese people," Harry said at a government reception celebrating 200 years of ties with Britain.
The 31-year-old prince, who is fifth in line to the British throne, visited the Patan Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, near capital Kathmandu, to see damage to an ancient royal palace and surrounding temples due to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on April 25. The second, 7.3 magnitude quake struck on May 12.
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Students of a dance school hold candles during a prayer ceremony in Agartala on Sunday for victims of Saturday's earthquake in Nepal. Reuters
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Army personnel prepare relief materials to be airlifted to Nepal to provide assistance to the earthquake victims at Hindon Air Force Station near New Delhi on Sunday.
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Army personnel shout slogans before boarding an Indian Air Force aircraft containing relief materials to be airlifted to Nepal to provide assistance to earthquake victims at Hindon Air Force Station near New Delhi on Sunday. AFP
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Tourists sleep at an open space after an earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday. Xinhua
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Quake ravages Himalayas
People gather near the cracks on the road caused by an earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal on Sunday. Reuters
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Quake ravages Himalayas
An elderly injured woman is taken home through earthquake debris after treatment in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu in Nepal on Sunday. AP
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Rescue personnel help a trapped earthquake survivor in Swyambhu near Kathmandu in Nepal on Sunday. AFP
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Security personnel engage in a rescue operation at the site of a budget hotel that collapsed in the earthquake, in Kalanki neighbourhood of Kathmandu in Nepal on Sunday. AP
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Rescue team personnel carry an injured person towards a waiting rescue helicopter at Everest Base Camp on Sunday, a day after an avalanche triggered by an earthquake devastated the camp. AFP
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Rescue personnel help a trapped earthquake survivor as his friend lies dead next to him in Swyambhu in Kathmandu on Sunday. AFP
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Quake ravages Himalayas
In this combination of file photographs, a Nepalese mahout rides an elephant past the 19th century Dharahara Tower in Kathmandu on October 27, 1998 (L), and rescue members and onlookers gather at the base of the collpased tower following the earthquake in Kathmandu on Sunday.
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Quake ravages Himalayas
Rescue team personnel carry an injured person towards a waiting rescue helicopter at Everest Base Camp on Sunday, a day after an avalanche triggered by an earthquake devastated the camp. AFP
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The restoration of monuments is going on with traditional craft skills like wood-carving and gilding. He also visited some artisans working at the site.
Later Harry travelled to the temple town of Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu, and visited a pre-positioning site for quake emergency supplies - shelter kits, water and sanitation equipment - and met survivors at a camp for displaced families.
Since arriving in Nepal on Saturday, Harry has met with Nepal's first woman president, Vidhya Devi Bhandari, and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
During the tour that ends on Wednesday, he will also meet families of Gurkha soldiers with whom he had served in Afghanistan at the lake city of Pokhara, 125 km (79 miles) west of Kathmandu.
(With agency inputs)
