RIYADH: The Nepalese government and its citizens in the Saudi capital have expressed their gratitude for the assistance in the wake of the strong earthquakes which hit the country recently.

“On behalf of my government, I thank the Kingdom for the donations totaling 190 tons of aid, including food, medical supplies and tents,” said Ambassador Udayaraj Pandey.

He said the tents are of high quality which could be used by the victims during rainy season, adding that the Kingdom had also promised to send 1,200 more tents to meet the needs of displaced people.

“The earthquake left thousands dead, wounded and missing,” said the envoy who’s expected to end his tour of duty in August.

Suleiman Al-Hwairni of the Red Crescent Society said the first part of the aid, ordered by Custodian of the Two Mosques King Salman, is currently being distributed. Khrishna Prasad Shrestha who works for a food company said that the Saudi donation “is in consonance with the generosity of the Kingdom.”

“The country was greatly damaged and so many Nepalese were affected,” said Kem Ramkumar Shrestha of Samasco. “The Saudi assistance will go a long way in alleviating the suffering of the victims.”

Rajendra Lama, who works for a hospitality facility, added that the assistance boosts the morale of Nepalese in the Kingdom whose families were affected by the earthquake.

There are 500,000 Nepalese working in Saudi Arabia and 100,000 of them are in the Saudi capital.

In keeping with the Saudi donation, some local firms did their share to help. The Burj Rafal Kempinski Hotel gave money donations to its Nepalese staff whose families were affected by the earthquakes. George Ganchev, GM, personally gave the donations.