UN to Netherlands: coordinate entire Nepal search; 12 Dutch wounded

With reporting by Zack Newmark. The Netherlands will coordinate the entire international search and rescue operation underway in Nepal, as the search for missing victims of the devastating earthquake continues. The decision was made at the request of the United Nations, Economics Affairs Minister Henk Kamp said in parliament today. The United Nations is expected to take control soon, but the Netherlands will run the operation in the interim. Kamp spoke in place of an absent Lilianne Ploumen, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, when he took the question from a D66 parliamentarian, Telegraaf reported. Heavy rains are making rescue and relief efforts difficult in Nepal, particularly in mountainous areas, the UN said. "Our big challenge now is getting out of Kathmandu and into the more affected areas, the epicenter," Resident coordinator for Nepal Jamie McGoldrick told AFP. The number of dead could total as many as 10,000, Nepal's prime minister said. There are 500 Dutch people currently staying in Nepal and Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still trying to get in contact with a hundred of them. So far, twelve Dutch people were reported slightly injured during the earthquake and the number might still increase, SOS International reported Tuesday. Telecommunication systems in the earthquake ravaged country are strained, which makes locating the Dutch difficult. On Tuesday afternoon, 44 Dutch people were scheduled to arrive at the Eindhoven Air Base in a military aircraft, and another 80 are flying in on Wednesday. About ten people landed in Amsterdam after making it to New Delhi and taking a commercial flight home. A 62-person strong Dutch aid team traveled to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu on Sunday to help finding missing victims