Nepal earthquake leaves Ottawa family 'helpless' over missing woman

The family of an Ottawa woman who was trekking in Langtang National Park in Nepal when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit feels "helpless" about the lack of information — and concerned there's not enough aid to go around because the devastation is so widespread.

Faye Kennedy, 32, was in the middle of a nine-day hike, travelling without a tent because she was staying in teahouses, when the earthquake hit, her family said.

"We feel helpless," her sister Grace Kennedy told CBC News. "I'm worried that she's hurt. And I'm worried that help isn't coming fast enough." 

Kennedy is one of nearly 400 Canadians who were in Nepal when the earthquake hit outside the capital Kathmandu. The death toll in the Himalayan region has risen to more than 2,500 after a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

• Nepal earthquake kills more than 1,900 people
• Mount Everest avalanche survivors flown to hospital
• Earthquake aftershock hits Nepal and India

The earthquake was also felt all across the northern part of neighbouring India, Bangladesh, China's region of Tibet and Pakistan, killing at least 60 people.

The Canadian government announced Saturday it was contributing $5 million to relief efforts in Nepal.

'We're still remaining really hopeful'

Faye Kennedy, who works in the public service, was travelling with two friends, her family said. She is an avid hiker, having completed the highest 46 peaks in the Adirondacks, as well as Nepal's Annapurna base camp and Everest base camp, her family said.

Her sister Lisa Kennedy said family members have been scouring social media, contacting those in Nepal directly for information, because there's been little official information out of Langtang National Park compared to Everest base camp.

From what we're seeing, it's chaos. And we're hearing it's very grim.- Faye Kennedy's sister Lisa Kennedy

"There's not a lot of communication up there, which is why we're still remaining really hopeful that we'll hear from her really soon, when she can get somewhere she can contact us," she said. 

"From what we're seeing, it's chaos. And we're hearing it's very grim."

Faye Kennedy's girlfriend Kimberley Tran told CBC News she hopes, "Faye draws on her resilience" to make it through the natural disaster.

"Nepal draws a lot of world travellers, trekkers and so there are many families like us, across Canada, across the world who are just waiting for their loved ones in different areas of Nepal outside of Kathmandu, outside of Everest," Tran said.