A high-altitude rescue effort involving up to 20,000 porters is under way in a bid to reach Nepal’s most isolated communities three weeks after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the country.

As part of Operation Mountain Express, each porter is expected to carry 30 kilogrammes of aid on their backs to people living in areas without road access, some above 3,500 metres.

The World Food Programme-backed operation aims to reach 45,000 people from mid-June to September, but the UN agency says its USD150 million appeal for Nepal is only seven per cent funded, as WFP’s Elisabeth Byrs tells Daniel Johnson.

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