Skip to main content

Nepal Tremors : At least 1900 people are known to have died till now, toll may rise

At least 1900 people are known to have died in a powerful earthquake in Nepal, with many more feared trapped under rubble, officials say.

The 7.9 magnitude quake struck an area between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara. This is the highest magnitude tremors in past 81 yearsTremors were felt across the region, with further loss of life in India, Bangladesh and on Mount Everest.The government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas.Nepali Information Minister Minendra Rijal said there had been "massive damage" at the epicentre, from where little information is emerging."We need support from the various international agencies which are more knowledgeable and equipped to handle the kind of emergency we face now," he said.A national police spokesman told the BBC that 876 people had died in the quake.

Rescuers are digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings in the capital trying to reach survivors.
A number of historic buildings have been destroyed.
Among those wrecked was the landmark Dharahara tower, with many feared trapped in its ruins.
After the earthquake struck, frightened residents came out into the streets. Mobile phones and other communications have been disrupted.
line
At the scene: Navin Singh Khadka, BBC Nepali
Major historic monuments in the Nepalese capital have been destroyed in the powerful earthquake, eyewitnesses and officials have said.
These include a nine-storey tower, temples and some parts of what was once a royal palace, all listed as Unesco world heritage sites.
Pictures posted on social media show some of the monuments have been reduced to rubble.
Eyewitnesses say several others now have cracks and could collapse.
Officials have said some temples and monuments at other world heritage sites near Kathmandu have also been damaged.
These sites are Nepal's major tourist attractions.
Nepal had lost several such monuments during a major earthquake in 1934.

There are also reports of damage to Kathmandu airport which could hamper relief operations.
With little known about the extent of the damage around the earthquake's epicentre, there are fears the death toll could rise.
Aftershocks continued to ripple through the region hours after.
The quake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing at least eight people, officials say.
"Running for life from my tent. Unhurt. Many many people up the mountain,"tweeted mountaineer Alex Gavan.
line
World's strongest earthquakes
§  Chile, 1960, a 9.5 magnitude quake triggers a tsunami. At least 1,700 people are killed
§  Alaska, 1964, 131 people are killed in a 9.2 earthquake
§  Indonesia, 2004, the devastating 9.1 earthquake and ensuing tsunami kills more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries
§  Japan, 2011, a 9.0 quake triggers a tsunami, killing more than 18,000 people
§  Russia, 1952, another 9.0 earthquake caused damage but no reported casualties
line
At least 35 people have been killed in India, Indian officials say, with one death also reported in Bangladesh.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met his ministers to review the situation. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has pledged help for the Nepalese authorities.
It is the worst earthquake to strike Nepal since one in 1934 all but destroyed Kathmandu.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hindus : Descendants of Sanatan Dharma Part 1

The Sanatana dharma traces its existance back to some 10 thousands years back. There is an old saying that when people in the west were busy in making utensils out of human bones the people in India were writing Vedas. We have not only invented the number system but been using it efficiently for astronomy. The word Hindu which has been for long seen as a religious identity of a group of people is in actually the geographical identity of the people living side the great Himalayas and the Indu sagar(ocean). So if we follow that up then every person living in India be him a christian or Muslim or follower of any other religion is actually a Hindu. But with time the word "Hindu" had became the identity of the followers of "Sanatan Dharma". "Sanatana" is a Sanskrit word that denotes that which is Anadi (beginningless), Anantha (endless) and does not cease to be, that which is eternal and everlasting. Dharma is from dhri, meaning to hold together, ...
1 comment
Read more

Letter To Ananya 2

Dear Ananya, How are you ? See i am here again to share with you some more things. Some things that touch me deep inside, something which scratches my heart deep. Ok let me first ask you a Question, shall I ? Ok, have you ever thought what would happen after your sole existence from the world vanishes ? Well its a very interesting topic that i want we to discuss today. Well death is very interesting subject of my concern, because i really don't understand what it actually is. I mean to say..., (Ananya don't stop smiling this is just a glimpse to nothing serious) OK lets examine a scenario, a group of humans going in a bus singing dancing and suddenly bus fell into a deep 200 ft ridge or something like that and suddenly they all die. Just a matter of second and the ever cheerful human body is left but with no soul, no movement no sound nothing just lying peacefully. What worst is that their families crying. If we are certain that someone will die then whats the point i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rare Book Society of India

" Despite being an ancient literary civilization and having one of the largest literary treasures of hand-written and printed material, India does not have a single Society for rare book collectors. This is an attempt to create a forum where those elusive connoisseurs come together to discuss and share their knowledge on Indian rare books. RBSI showcases rare Indian books, prints and art, that have been digitized, with the purpose of bringing these lost words to life. Through this open virtual platform, members of RBSI can create a digital collection of rare and valuable books by downloading the digitised books that are made available here. What started of as a group for rare book collectors has now transformed into a forum for history buffs, scholars and of course the silent curious. Discussions and comments range from sanguine to educative to irreverent, all providing for an interesting cerebral buzz, every day of the week. Many of these books might be considered to be his...
Post a Comment
Read more