SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Nepalese Yellowknifers are glued to TVs, checking in on relatives and raising funds for relief in the wake of last week's massive earthquake that has killed more than 7,000 people and injured 15,000 more.

Manik Duggar, who has lived in the city for around 10 years, said he was relieved to learn his immediate family members in Nepal are safe, but has a heavy heart for members of his extended family who weren't so lucky.

"All of us are going through a really emotional time," he said.

"We (he and his wife) are thankful that our immediate families are safe and OK, but we have ... some distant relations who have lost lives. And a few of them have lost property."

His wife's uncle lost his home and is staying with family, Duggar said.

"Kathmandu is especially hard hit," said Duggar. "Lots of loss of life. It's a poor country so the infrastructure is not that great. The support and aid that is coming from outside is not reaching in time which could have saved some lives. Outside Kathmandu, in the villages close to the epicentre ... the support and rescue is just starting. And some of these areas are in the mountains which get especially cold at night. So we are not hearing many great things."

Duggar organized a vigil near city hall for Saturday evening, which was attended by about 50 people.

"We thought if we can organize a vigil, it might bring the community together," he said, adding that around 10 Nepalese families call Yellowknife home.

Another man attending Saturday's vigil was Binay Yadav.

Yadav said he's been living in the city for six years and was relieved to learn his two brothers, his sister and his mother weren't in Kathmandu when disaster struck.

"The initial few days it was really tough," he said. "That earthquake was quite strong. So they were not able to go inside the house."

He said they stayed in tents for two days before they were able to re-enter their home.

"A lot of things are improving now," said Yadav, adding that the earthquake didn't cause too much damage in his hometown, Birganj, about 200 kilometres from Kathmandu. But he said friends in Kathmandu have lost their homes.

"Some are staying outside, some are in hotels," he said. "And some of my friends in Bokhara (about 150 kilometres from Kathmandu), they're residing outside."

The disaster caused an avalanche on Mount Everest, which killed 19 people - making it the deadliest day in the mountain's recorded history.

And nine United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization heritage sites have been destroyed.

It's a big tragedy, said Yadav.

"I see pain there. I watch TV every day here in Yellowknife. They're going inside those villages and I see still they're in pain. One of the villages, still there was no help and 80 per cent of their houses are down. It's not easy."

Yadav said he's happy with the support coming from across the globe, and that he feels the Nepalese army is "doing their best."

He said he saw one story on a TV newscast, showing a small boy pulled out from under rubble covered in dust and debris.

"And after four hours they cleaned him up and he was laughing and he was playing," he said.

"So that was a great moment for me."

He said Yellowknifers have been great as well.

He attended a fundraiser at the Independent grocery store on Old Airport Road over the weekend and felt the support was overwhelming.

"It's a heart-touching thing," he said. "Two or three ladies in their 80s or 90s came and talked to me for a long time about it. Their support is really superb."

"I think it is very amazing support we have seen in Yellowknife," he said. "And the support we have seen from the Government of the Northwest Territories, it's $25,000 which will be matched dollar-to-dollar by the Government of Canada."

Duggar said he's glad that the Canadian government has put up $5-million toward the relief effort and has sent a team to Kathmandu to provide medical expertise.

A fundraiser lunch is planned for Monday, Duggar said, from noon until 2 p.m., at the Greenstone Building.

"We are hoping to get maximum participation," he said.

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