Hamilton men survive Nepal earthquake

A Hamilton man and his brother narrowly escaped being buried by rubble in Kathmandu, Saturday, after a devastating earthquake flattened buildings in Nepal's capital.

And though his family knows they are very lucky he's alive, they say the way the Canadian consulate is handing the disaster is "shameful."

"We were holding our breath throughout this whole thing," said Joan Keating, whose husband Bryan Prince and brother Ross are still in the demolished region.

• READ MORE: Nepal earthquake: 2,500 dead as aftershocks terrify survivors
• READ MORE: Canada readies aid, disaster team

The two were standing in a small parkette when the 7.8 magnitude quake hit. "They could just see a ripple go through the ground about a foot high," Keating told CBC News.

Prince and his brother stayed in the open space for about five hours until they were sure it was safe. Then they ventured out into the streets only to see that many of the buildings around them had been reduced to rubble.

It's pretty appalling how the government has handled this. What's the point of an embassy if not to help during situations like this?- Joan Keating

"If they'd stayed in the street it might've been a very different story for them," Keating said.

The earthquake is said to be the worst to hit the South Asian nation in over 80 years. It destroyed the old, historic part of the city, and was strong enough to be felt across the northern part of neighbouring India, Bangladesh, China's region of Tibet and Pakistan.

The death toll has soared past 3,700, even without a full accounting from vulnerable mountain villages that rescue workers were still struggling to reach two days after the disaster.

Situation 'appalling,' family says

Through the chaos, Prince and his brother got to the Canadian consulate and managed to send a message to their families to tell them they were safe. But since then, his wife says, all the Canadian government has offered them is spotty wifi and a place to sleep in a garden unprotected from the elements.

"It's pretty appalling how the government has handled this," Keating said. "What's the point of an embassy if not to help during situations like this?"

Keating and her daughter have been calling help lines offered by the Canadian government in an effort to connect with their loved ones and organize travel details to get them out of Nepal.

But all the government has told them is the two stranded travellers need to make their own travel arrangements.

"Without any wifi this is impossible for them to do, as well, we have no way of getting word to them regarding any flights we are able to book for them," she said. "When we asked whether messages could be forwarded to them through the Consulate since they have been sleeping on their grounds for the last two days we are told this can't be done."

'The police are busy digging up the bodies of their own people'

Prince even used some of his very limited internet time to send a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson to convey just how urgent the situation really is. He and his brother are now staying in the U.S. embassy, where they say they are being treated much better.

"Most of the people here do not have the funds to buy highly inflated air tickets back to Canada," he wrote.

"Hotels and restaurants are closed and ATMs are not functioning compared to the pain and suffering of the people living here, our problems are small, but we urgently need to know just what you mean by reaching out."

Nicholson had earlier told the media Canada is "reaching out" to provide help to both Nepal and the 388 Canadians known to be there.

Representatives of the Canadian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Keating is also looking for assurances that her husband and his brother will be able to get to the airport safely, considering the unrest in the region however, they were told to "contact Nepal police" about it, she said.

"The police are busy digging up the bodies of their own people," she said. "That shows a total lack of respect for those people and what they're going through."