BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WMOT) -- The mid-state disaster relief agency Hope Force reports all of its volunteers at work in Nepal are safe after a strong aftershock killed scores more in the mountain nation.
Brentwood based Hope Force sent a medical team of nine to Nepal this past week. The team is working in small villages on the outskirts of the capital.
Hope Force founder Jack Minton says being wakened by a call from his team at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning got his pulse racing, but everyone is fine. He says the team was on the road at the time of the 7.3 Richter Scale tremblor.
“One of our very, very seasoned staff members said to me on the phone, ‘I don’t know if it was OK, but I was really scared.’ I said, ‘Well, that just shows you’re human. I would be scared to.’”
The death toll from this latest quake now stands at 39 with hundreds injured. Deaths from the quake have also been reported in India and China.
Hope Force is looking for additional medical professionals willing to volunteer in Nepal in the coming weeks.