Kathmandu, May 17 (IANS) More females died in the April 25 devastating earthquake and the series of aftershocks that hit Nepal, the ministry of home affairs said on Sunday.
Among the 8,583 people who died in the quake, 4,714 were females and 3,825 were males, according to data released till Sunday evening.
The ministry added that the sex of 44 bodies has not been ascertained yet.
The highest casualties were reported in the capital Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Sindhupalchok, Rasuwa, Dhading, Nuwakot, Kavre and Dolakha — where a total of 4,459 female lost their lives, compared to 3,581 males.
Bishnu Maya Bhandari, a 104-year-old woman from Kavre, Hari Maya Devkota, another 104-year-old from Gorkha, and 102-year-old Guthi Maji, also from Gorkha district, were among the oldest who died in the quake, said Nepal Police.
Police said women were mostly busy in household work and suffered the worst when the quake struck.
According to police data, a total of 735 children, aged less than 10 years, and 274 senior citizens (aged over 80), died in the earthquake.