VOA's Southeast Asia correspondent Steve Herman is closely following the unfolding disaster in Nepal and nearby nations. He described what happened after the Earth's crust shifted and unleashed the major earthquake that shook the Himalayan region Saturday.
"It's pretty grim in Kathmandu and areas that were close to this shallow and extremely powerful quake, the largest to have hit Nepal in about 80 years. The U.S. Geological Service is estimating there could be between 1,000 and 10,000 people dead."
Q: How have Nepal's historic sites been affected?
"Much of Nepal's heritage has been destroyed by this earthquake. Many shrines, many temples have crumbled. A lot of the older buildings in Kathmandu have gone down. One eyewitness who was surveying the scene with binoculars estimated that 20 percent of the buildings in Kathmandu have been destroyed."
Q: What happened on Mount Everest?
"There have been avalanches on both the north and south sides of Everest. It is the Nepali side of the mountain that seems to have suffered the most damage, in terms of the base camps and the climbers. We're hearing that several Chinese mountaineers have died.
"In all, according to reports from the scene, eight bodies have been recovered. We're told that at Base Camp One, although there was damage, apparently everyone there did survive. If there were climbers up on the mountain at the time — and it appears that there were — it would be some time before we can determine what their fate is.
"Also we're getting information that the mountaineers' route up and down the mountain has been damaged, and so some climbers may have been cut off. Of course, that's not an easy place to arrange a rescue."
Q: What is the situation regarding infrastructure and aid supplies?
"It's a dire situation in Kathmandu and other places. The water supply is out. Ambulances are having a difficult time reaching the victims because of damage to the roads. The Indian air force is flying in some aircraft with search-and-rescue teams and supplies. And we can expect that in the coming days, there are going to be a number of other countries bringing in rescue teams and supplies.
"At the moment this is very challenging. If the road is passable, say, from West Bengal in India, it's a 10- to 12-hour drive to get to Kathmandu. The airport has been closed; they're assessing damage. Until they can get that airport open, it's going to be a challenge to get in any cargo aircraft or commercial aircraft. At this point it does appear to be a military-type operation, but a number of NGOs that we've been in contact with are gearing up to come in with a massive relief effort."
"It's pretty grim in Kathmandu and areas that were close to this shallow and extremely powerful quake, the largest to have hit Nepal in about 80 years. The U.S. Geological Service is estimating there could be between 1,000 and 10,000 people dead."
Q: How have Nepal's historic sites been affected?
"Much of Nepal's heritage has been destroyed by this earthquake. Many shrines, many temples have crumbled. A lot of the older buildings in Kathmandu have gone down. One eyewitness who was surveying the scene with binoculars estimated that 20 percent of the buildings in Kathmandu have been destroyed."
Q: What happened on Mount Everest?
"There have been avalanches on both the north and south sides of Everest. It is the Nepali side of the mountain that seems to have suffered the most damage, in terms of the base camps and the climbers. We're hearing that several Chinese mountaineers have died.
"In all, according to reports from the scene, eight bodies have been recovered. We're told that at Base Camp One, although there was damage, apparently everyone there did survive. If there were climbers up on the mountain at the time — and it appears that there were — it would be some time before we can determine what their fate is.
"Also we're getting information that the mountaineers' route up and down the mountain has been damaged, and so some climbers may have been cut off. Of course, that's not an easy place to arrange a rescue."
Q: What is the situation regarding infrastructure and aid supplies?
"It's a dire situation in Kathmandu and other places. The water supply is out. Ambulances are having a difficult time reaching the victims because of damage to the roads. The Indian air force is flying in some aircraft with search-and-rescue teams and supplies. And we can expect that in the coming days, there are going to be a number of other countries bringing in rescue teams and supplies.
"At the moment this is very challenging. If the road is passable, say, from West Bengal in India, it's a 10- to 12-hour drive to get to Kathmandu. The airport has been closed; they're assessing damage. Until they can get that airport open, it's going to be a challenge to get in any cargo aircraft or commercial aircraft. At this point it does appear to be a military-type operation, but a number of NGOs that we've been in contact with are gearing up to come in with a massive relief effort."
Steve Herman, Ira Mellman
[voanews.com]
25/4/15
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Related:
- Magnitude Mw 7.8
Region NEPAL
Date time 2015-04-25 06:11:26.3 UTC
Location 28.28 N ; 84.79 E
Depth 10 km
Distances:
Date time 2015-04-25 06:11:26.3 UTC
Location 28.28 N ; 84.79 E
Depth 10 km
Distances:
- 83 km NW of Kathmandu, Nepal / pop: 1,442,271 / local time: 11:56:26.3 2015-04-25
- 75 km NE of Bharatpur, Nepal / pop: 107,157 / local time: 11:56:26.3 2015-04-25
Source parameters reviewed by a seismologist
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- M7.8 - 34km ESE of Lamjung, Nepal
Time
- 2015-04-25 06:11:26 (UTC)
- 2015-04-25 09:11:26 (UTC+03:00)
Nearby Cities
- 34km (21mi) ESE of Lamjung, Nepal
- 58km (36mi) NNE of Bharatpur, Nepal
- 73km (45mi) E of Pokhara, Nepal
- 76km (47mi) NW of Kirtipur, Nepal
- 77km (48mi) NW of Kathmandu, Nepal
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State of Emergency declared after earthquake hits Nepal...
ReplyDeleteMore than 1,300 people are believed to have been killed in Nepal when an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck early today.
The quake struck Nepal and parts of northern India and was also felt in India, Malaysia and Bangladesh.
The quake struck 77km north west of Kathmandu, with reports of damage in the Nepali capital.
The quake caused buildings to collapse, injuring many and leaving a pall of dust over the city.
The death toll is expected to rise as Kathmandu's decrepit buildings, criss-crossed by narrow alleys, are home to large families.
A 1934 quake of magnitude 8.3 in the impoverished Himalayan nation killed over 8,500 people..........http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0425/696663-nepal/
26/4/15
Nepal earthquake survivors: Shell-shocked, sleeping outdoors, and waiting to see if toll rises...
ReplyDeleteThe death toll from Nepal's earthquake rose to 3,218 on Monday, two days after the massive quake ripped across this Himalayan nation, leaving tens of thousands shell-shocked and sleeping in streets.
Aid groups received the first word from remote mountain villages -- reports that suggested many communities perched on mountainsides were devastated or struggling to cope.
Landslides hindered rescue teams that tried to use mountain trails to reach those in need, said Prakash Subedi, chief district official in the Gorkha region, where the quake was centred.
"Villages like this are routinely affected by landslides, and it's not uncommon for entire villages of 200, 300, up to 1,000 people to be completely buried by rock falls," said Matt Darvas, a member of the aid group World Vision. "It will likely be helicopter access only."...AP...ctvnews.ca