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Viber Enables Free Calling to Aid Nepal Earthquake Victims

Viber is hoping to alleviate some of the pain

Apr 27, 2015 09:41 GMT  ·  By
Viber tries to help earthquake victims
   Viber tries to help earthquake victims

A powerful earthquake shook Nepal on Saturday near its capital, Katmandu, killing more than 3,000 people, devastating sections of the city’s historic center, and trapping dozens of tourists in a watchtower that came crashing down over them.

But these are just some early numbers, as a recent report by BBC reveals that the death toll has risen to 3,617 head counts, with more than 6,500 people being injured according to the National Emergency Operation Center.

Dozens of people are also reported to have been killed in neighboring China and India. Luckily, in times of need and despair such as these, governments across the world will rush to offer support to affected territories.

However, not only official bodies come to the rescue but also important tech companies across the world, as well-known players like Apple, Facebook and Google have also announced their desire to help the victims of this natural catastrophe.

Viber now offers free of charge calling from and to Nepal

Viber too is looking to make a contribution that will hopefully relieve some of the pain the earthquake victims are going through. The popular messaging service has announced it has switched off Viber Out billing so that Nepal users can call any destination free of charge.

Viber’s action might have a great impact on many people’s life, since the country’s communication lines have been disconnected during the earthquake. On top of that, Nepal has also been plagued by a shortage of power, as a result.

So Viber is basically offering an alternate means of communication that will allow Nepalese to get in touch with their loved ones to let them know if they are safe or hurt.

What about those who have family or friends over in Nepal or weren’t in the country when the earthquake happened? The good news is that Viber is also allowing free calls to be made to Nepalese mobile and landline numbers via the Viber Out feature.

So in case you’ve been trying to reach someone in the country and you haven’t been able to get to them yet, try installing Viber (if you haven’t until now) on your phone. You should then be able to get in touch with them this way.