Officials of the Nepalese consulate in Kolkata are spending sleepless nights as they have not been able to get in touch with their families back home since Saturday, when the massive earthquake jolted the Himalayan country and killed over 4000 people.

"I have not been able to contact my family since Saturday. I don't know the condition of my family, whether they are alive or not. I am really tense," said Dulal, a person on the staff at the Nepal consulate.

Hit by severe shortage of food, water, electricity and medicines and buffeted by fear, tens of thousands of people are out in the open as quake-hit Nepal is desperately seeking international help to tide over the crisis.

Sita Basnet, a senior official of the consulate, said there are three more staff in the consulate, who are unable to get in touch with their family members in Nepal.

"Apart from Dulal, there are three more staff in our consulate, who could not make any contact with their family members. They are very tense. The communications lines are completely snapped... its very tough to get in touch with them," Basnet said.