Thread: Strong earthquake rocks Nepal, damages Kathmandu

Sky News’ India Producer Neville Lazarus said there are also reports of centuries-old temples falling in the city.
A 15-year-girl was killed in a building collapse in India near the Nepal border.
A child was also killed when a statue collapsed in a park outside Kathmandu.
Dozens of people with injuries have been brought to the city's main hospital.
The quake struck 80km (50 miles) east of the central city of Pokhara, close to the capital, the US Geological Survey said.
Residents have been warned to stay outdoors, with more aftershocks feared.
"It was a pretty massive earthquake here, the strongest I've ever felt in my life," photojournalist Nayantara, who is in Pokhara, told Sky News.
"We've all gathered on a tennis court which is the only open space available to us close by," she said.
"There is quite a lot of damage. The building I was in has quite a lot of cracks in it. There was a construction site right next to us and several of the new ways have fallen and there was an injury."
Another witness tweeted: "LOTS of shaking. Hid under table, then ran outside. Still feel like swaying. Cables/walls down."
"Lots of panic, people wandering in the streets," @jonk said, adding that people were gathering in the middle of an intersection to avoid falling debris.
Nepal's Information Minister Minendra Rijal has told India's NDTV station that rescue teams are at the scene.
According to Sky's Neville Lazarus tremors could be felt as far away as India's capital New Dehli and other northern cities.
"For about three to four minutes buildings in Dehli experienced tremors and residents rushed out of their buildings," he said.
"Everything was shaking."
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted: "We are in the process of finding more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home & in Nepal."
Deaths As Nepal Earthquake Destroys Buildings

Oh, no. So much unreinforced masonry building there. Could be many lives lost.

I'd hoped to go to Nepal later this year.....

Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs says more than 150 people have died in the capital, Kathmandu, following a 7.9 magnitude earthquake.



(CNN) -- A massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake has hit Nepal with devastating force less than 50 miles from the capital, Kathmandu, the U.S. Geological Survey said Saturday. Witnesses said people had been killed and injured, and historic buildings in Kathmandu had tumbled to the ground.

The full extent of the deaths, injuries and damage has not yet begun to emerge.

CNN's Manesh Shrestha, who was himself hurt, said he saw five bodies at a hospital to which he walked, seeking treatment. People with severe injuries were being treated outside, with doctors administering CPR on at least one person, Shrestha said.

"It's quite chaotic," he said by phone. "People are wailing, crying."

Shrestha, who felt he needed stitches, was turned away because other people were more seriously hurt. He saw people with broken bones and severe head injuries, he said.

Avalanches were reported on Mount Everest, sending mountaineers running for cover.

"Everest base camp huge earthquake then huge avalanche from pumori," Twitter user Alex Gavan said. "Running for life from my tent. Unhurt. Many many people up the mountain."



Pictures here. Lots of destruction.

7.9 magnitude earthquake rattles Nepal near Katmandu - CNN.com

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Terrible.

Terry got me interested in heading up there this fall and was all set to book hotels in Kathmandu & Pokhara. Even had a rental car & driver slated for 112 bucks one way from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Imaging that road is toast now.

Can't be guaranteed until you check it out - what's what and what's not.

Do yourself a great a great favour when you venture off to Nepal - see the countryside. Can be quite spectacular.

An acclaimed British mountaineer, Daniel Mazur, is apparently among those caught after avalanches triggered by the earthquake hit Mount Everest and Tweeting about it.

https://twitter.com/danielmazur/stat...78398999330817


One of my friend's boy is up there, too.

Avalanche on everest south side, climbers went missing.

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Terrible.

Terry got me interested in heading up there this fall and was all set to book hotels in Kathmandu & Pokhara. Even had a rental car & driver slated for 112 bucks one way from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Imaging that road is toast now.

Can't be guaranteed until you check it out - what's what and what's not.

Do yourself a great a great favour when you venture off to Nepal - see the countryside. Can be quite spectacular.

More so than the Canadian Rockies?

I've been wondering 'bout that.

Hundreds of people have been killed after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Nepal causing extensive damage in the capital Kathmandu.
At least 688 have been confirmed dead across the country following the strongest quake to hit Nepal in 80 years, according government officials.
The quake toppled Kathmandu's iconic nine-storey Dharahara tower, with rescuers left scrambling to reach some 50 people reported to have been trapped under the rubble.
Earlier police removed around a dozen bodies from the 19th Century UNESCO-recognised monument, also known as the Bhimsen Tower.
Tremors were also felt in neighbouring India, with 20 people, including a 15-year-old girl, reported to have been killed.
Nepal Earthquake Topples Buildings Killing 688

The death toll is rising quickly. Reuters is now reporting that at least 688 people have been killed, according to a senior home ministry official in Nepal. This includes 181 people people who have died in the capital, Kathmandu.

An official with Nepal’s mountaineering department has said that the bodies of eight people have been recovered on Mount Everest, following an avalanche triggered by the earthquake. They said that an unknown number of people remain missing or injured.

Nepal earthquake: nearly 700 people dead - live updates | World news | The Guardian

Death toll still rising. RIP.

A powerful earthquake centred in Nepal has killed more than 1,300 people across four countries, flattening houses and temples as well as triggering a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.

'Massive' Earthquake In Nepal Kills Over 1,300

Foreign Affairs Ministry ready to help Thais in Nepal

BANGKOK, 25 April 2015 (NNT) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Information has reported that the Thai Embassy in Nepal is closely monitoring the quake situation and its impacts in Nepal.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Thai Embassy in Nepal is trying to locate Thai people living or journeying in Nepal following a massive 7.5 magnitude earthquake this afternoon.

The quake, centered 80 miles from Kathmandu, reportedly killed more than 150 people in Nepal’s capital city.

Thai nationals who have registered with the Thai Embassy in Nepal number around 100. The Embassy is trying to contact all of them. Those seeking emergency help can call the Embassy anytime.

http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/....axYycfaQ.dpuf

At least 1,457 are dead, and the death toll is expected to rise. At least 10 were killed on Mount Everest, where the quake launched an avalanche. Dozens if not hundreds remain trapped under mounds of rubble.


This photo provided by Azim Afif shows the scene after an avalanche triggered by a massive earthquake swept across Everest Base Camp in Nepal on April 25, 2015. Afif and his team of four others from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia survived.

5 things to know about the Nepal earthquake

Thanks for the ongoing updates, Kitty!!

Google Exec Dan Fredinburg Killed in Nepal Earthquake

Dan Fredinburg, a longtime Googler who headed privacy for Google X and product management for the overall privacy team, died this morning of a head injury after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest.

An experienced climber, Fredinburg co-founded in his spare time Google Adventure, a company team that “translate[d] the Google Street View concept into extreme, exotic locations like the summit of Mount Everest or the Great Barrier Reef off Australia,” as described by Startup Grind. He, along with fellow Googlers Michele Battelli and Flo Nagl, were scaling the world’s tallest mountain one year after an avalanche there killed 16 sherpas.

Google Exec Dan Fredinburg Killed in Nepal Earthquake | Re/code

Some good video coverage here...

http://news.yahoo.com/video/nepal-ea...004744138.html

Heard from my friend that her son at Everest Base Camp is OK. The healthy climbers reckon they will be walking out to Lukla.

Her house in Kakani was damaged very little but her family is sleeping outdoors until the tremors stop. They have neighbors whose houses are completely destroyed. Luckily most were out working and not at home when the quake struck.

Not expecting more updates by cell phone as the power is out and probably won't be back on for ages.

She did say her heard Pokhara had very little damage.

al jazeera has a good vid also

Magnitude 7.8 quake east of Pokhara kills at least 1,800 people as aftershocks continue and scale of disaster unfolds.

Nepal toll rises after worst quake in decades - Al Jazeera English

^^ good to hear that your friend's son is OK.

For those in the urban areas, when I see all the bricks and masonry that has come down, I realize that all it would take is one chunk of that stuff hitting a person in the head to take them out. If you've got no where to run to get away from those falling pieces, survival would be a very lucky thing.

^ Yes, people in the countryside are much better off.

The city will get worse as food, water, and supplies run out. There is little electric service in KMD to begin with. Now none.

estimated 300,000 foreign tourists in the country

I wonder if the airport is operating.

Local news has a live broadcast with reporters walking around the city.

live01us.kantipurtv.com:1935/live/ktvlive.sdp/playlist.m3u8

Can't understand a word they say but interesting.