SCOTS star Ewan McGregor has made an impassioned plea for aid to help millions of children left “scared and in danger” following the earthquake in Nepal on Saturday.
The Trainspotting and Star Wars actor, pictured right,
who visited Nepal in 2011 in his role as Unicef UK ambassador, said the situation was “devastating” and particularly dangerous for children, who make up 40 per cent of the country’s people.
“The children I met in Nepal left a lasting impression on me and now hundreds of thousands of them are facing another night out in the elements,” he said. “It’s absolutely heart-breaking to think that some of the children I met have now been left with nothing. The earthquake has not only destroyed their homes and their schools, but left millions of children scared and in danger.”
According to Unicef there are at least three million children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and McGregor has urged people to donate £5 toward’s the charity’s Nepal Earthquake Appeal as the death toll rises.
Survivors are sleeping in the open despite the rain and cold but there is a risk of disease because of the lack of clean water. Scant food supplies, power cuts and lack of medicine have made the crisis acute.
David Bull, Unicef’s UK executive director, said: “With children accounting for half the country’s population, we fear loss of life and great disruption to their lives as homes and schools are destroyed.”
The appeal was made as six Scottish firefighters – and their dog – flew out to help the relief effort.
The six, from Aberdeen, Perth and Dundee, and Diesel the dog, are part of a 70-strong UK team being deployed as part of the UK response to the disaster.
Diesel has been specially trained to look for people within collapsed structures.
Chief Officer Alasdair Hay said: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is proud to have highly-professional firefighters who are willing and able to help and support the Nepalese people. Our thoughts are clearly with the thousands of people affected by this terrible disaster.
“The team will be able to provide specialised, technical search and rescue assistance in collapsed structures. This will include locating and rescuing people deeply entrapped, canine support, medical teams, engineering, assessing the damage and stabilising scenes.”
Meanwhile Scottish support workers with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN) have reported they are safe and are helping with rescue efforts.
Malcolm Ramsay, formerly minister at Pitlochry Church of Scotland, has been in Nepal with his wife, Cati, since 2011 where they are pastoral support workers for the UMN, the Church of Scotland’s partner organisation.
Only 24 hours before the earthquake the entire expatriate staff of UMN had travelled through the epicentre for the mission’s annual four-day retreat, which the Ramsays were leading.
“We are profoundly grateful that we ourselves, along with the other UMN staff, are all unharmed physically,” said Ramsay. “However, we’re all extremely shaken by what has happened and find the continuing aftershocks both alarming and unsettling. The challenge is balancing our relief at being alive with our heartfelt grief at the catastrophic consequences for so many people here.”
Senior UMN staff have returned to Kathmandu to coordinate the relief effort from there.
The Scottish Government yesterday made a £250,000 donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee in Scotland’s Nepal Earthquake Appeal which will be used to buy food, water purification tablets, bedding and shelter.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “On behalf of the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland, I would like to send our deepest condolences to everyone affected by the earthquake and offer them our support as they work through this devastating disaster.”
Donations of £5 to Unicef’s relief appeal can be made by texting NEPAL to 70123.
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