April 26, 2015
Kathmandu: As Nepal slowly came to terms with the full scale of tragedy and looked for survivors, the death toll due the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the Himalayan country on Saturday crossed 2,400 while over 5,000 people have reportedly been injured.
Massive earthquake hits Nepal
April 26, 2015
Kathmandu: As Nepal slowly came to terms with the full scale of tragedy and looked for survivors, the death toll due the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the Himalayan country on Saturday crossed 2,400 while over 5,000 people have reportedly been injured.
Massive earthquake hits Nepal
The government of Prime Minister Sushil Koirala declared the quake a national calamity as help poured in from Indian and several other countries.
As thousands prepare to spend another night in the open on Sunday, heavy rain in and around Kathmandu is making matters worse. The Kathmandu airport has been closed again due to bad weather. All government schools and colleges in Nepal will stay shut for a week.
Meanwhile, fresh tremors were on Sunday felt in Nepal along with northern and eastern parts of India including Delhi sparking panic. The death toll in India rose to 68 with Bihar being the worst-hit. The tremors triggered by a strong 6.7-magnitude aftershock epicentred in Nepal on Sunday were experienced in West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Delhi for over 30 seconds at 12:42 PM. People scurried for safety in several cities and towns.
The Met Department has predicted heavy rainfall that could trigger landslides in mountainous areas in the next few hours. Rumours of more quakes striking the regions led to more panic.
"There is no way one can forecast the intensity of aftershocks so people need to be alert for the next few days," said LS Rathore, chief of the India Meteorological Department.
In Mount Everest's worst disaster, the bodies of 17 climbers were recovered from the mountain on Sunday after being caught in avalanches. A plane carrying the first 15 injured climbers landed in Kathmandu at around 12 noon local time.
"There is a lot of confusion on the mountain. The toll will rise," said Gelu Sherpa, one of the walking wounded among the first 15 injured climbers flown to Kathmandu. "Tents have been blown away," said Sherpa, his head in bandages.
Meanwhile in India, the central government on Sunday announced Rs 6 lakh compensation to the relatives of those killed in the country due to the quake. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of rescue and relief operations both at home and in Nepal at a review meeting and directed that they be speeded up through close coordination among agencies.
Fresh tremors were felt in Nepal and parts of India on April 26, 2015, following yesterday’s massive earthquake. The aftershock, which was recorded to be 6.7 on the Richter scale, was the most powerful since the quake. It also triggered a fresh avalanche on Mount Everest.
Courtesy: IBNLive
