The first gender-oriented data published by the government stated that 8,942 earthquake-incuded deaths had been reported as of Saturday (, of which only 8,193 bodies were identified. A total of 4,497 women and children died in the disaster— 3,145 were women and 1,352 children.

Narayan Kafle, spokesperson of the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, said that the ministry has already begun work to ensure proper care to that those who survived one of the deadliest earthquakes ever recorded in the country’s history.

“We are aware that women and children are the most vulnerable during disaster and working to ensure that the survivors get proper care,” said Kafle. “Our primary concern is towards the safety of pregnant women and children who have lost their parents in this great disaster.”

He also informed that a high level committee chaired by Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Neelam Khadka has been formed and that the ministry has also submitted its work plan to the Prime Minister.

According to the data collected by Nepal Police from the quake-affected areas of the nation, 2,467 men and 1,229 boy children were killed in the Great Earthquake and its May 12 aftershock.

The data further reveals that most casualties occurred in the central region and the Kathmandu valley. The disaster claimed 6,289 lives in the central region and 1,720 inside the Valley. Similarly, 424 deaths were reported in the western region and two in mid-western and eastern region.

A research conducted by the Asian Development Bank in 2008 had shown that during natural disasters, women population is highly likely to die.  The data showed that women accounted for 61% of deaths from Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, 70-80% in the Indian Ocean tsunami and 91% in the 1991 cyclone in Bangladesh.