KATHMANDU, April 27: As of Saturday evening, 73 Nepalis living in various countries around the world have lost their lives due to the coronavirus, the Non-resident Nepali Association (NRNA), said.
The pandemic has killed 49 Nepalis in the United Kingdom alone, 15 in the United States, five in the United Arab Emirates and one each in Ireland, Japan, Turkey and the Netherlands, the NRNA, the umbrella organization of the non-resident Nepalis, stated in a press release on Sunday morning.
A total of 5,247 Nepalis have tested positive for the deadly virus across the globe, the NRNA said. Of them, 1,570 Nepalis have recovered from COVID-19 so far. The highest number of Nepalis infected by the virus is in the Gulf region. The NRNA stated that more than 2,300 Nepali workers living in the Gulf have tested positive for the virus.
78 Non-resident Nepalis die of COVID-19 worldwide: NRNA
Of them, 1500 are in the US, 1000 in the UK, 12 in Spain, 100 in the UAE, 126 in Bahrain, 59 in Nepal, four in Germany, 26 in Portugal, 22 in Ireland, 10 in Australia, six in Belgium, 34 in Saudi Arabia, 78 in Kuwait, five in Switzerland, six in Japan, five in Canada, four in Germany, three in Cyprus, three in New Zealand, two in the Maldives, two in Malta, two in Hong Kong, and one each in Myanmar and France.
According to Dr Hem Raj Sharma, the general secretary of NRNA, the organization is currently providing relief support to Nepalis living in 45 countries worldwide. "We have already provided support to around 35,000 Nepalis across the globe," Sharma said in the press release.
Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives of Nepalis around the world due to COVID-19, Kumar Panta, president of the NRNA, has extended condolences to the victims' families.
The NRNA has been gathering details on the situation of Nepalis during the pandemic in collaboration with Nepali health workers, Nepali diplomatic missions, Nepali organizations, NRNA chapters and local organizations based in the COVID-19 affected countries.
