Kathmandu, Apr 25: Nepal was today struck by the worst earthquake in 80 years, leaving nearly 1,500 people dead in flattened houses and buildings including the iconic Dharhara tower and renowned Darbar Square in the heart of the capital.
The quake measuring 7.9 on Richter scale, which was followed by 16 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or greater, striking heavy casualties in Kathmandu and injuring thousand others. Hundreds were feared missing across the country.
"Army estimates death toll as much as 1457 so far," Nepal's Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat tweeted.
He said, "90 per cnt of approx 1000 homes and huts reduced to rubble in Barpak Larpak area."
According to Nepalese Home Ministry figures, 150 people lost lives in neighbouring Bhaktapur, 250 in Sindhu, 67 in Lalitpur and 37 in Dhading district. Besides, 20 people were killed in the country's eastern region, 33 in western region and rest in other parts of the Himalayan nation.
The earthquake around 11:56 am with epicentre at Lamjung, around 80 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, had its impact in several cities in Bihar, West Bengal and UP and tremors were felt across vast stretches of east and northeast India.
It was also felt in Southern and Western parts of India, China, Bhutan and as far as Pakistan and Bangladesh. Miraculously the famous 5th century Pashupatinath temple here was undamaged, while a number of old temples were razed.
Several buildings, most of them old, in the densely- populated Kathmandu Valley collapsed, killing hundreds.
Over 200 bodies have been retrieved from the debris of two-century old nine-storey landmark Dharhara tower in the centre of the capital.
Kathmandu's Darbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was completely damaged in the quake which was the worst to hit Nepal and surrounding regions after the earthquake of 8.4 magnitude which occurred along the Nepal-Bihar border in 1934.
Video footages showed a number of buildings having caved in or developing huge cracks. Many of the city roads have suffered wide craters in the impact, affecting movement of vehicles and rescue operations.
Army, police and emergency workers were pressed into service for rescue of those trapped and rushing injured survivors to hospitals. Many of the injured could be seen suffering bleeding injuries covered in dust from the debris.
Indian Embassy spokesperson Abhay Kumar said some walls have collapsed in the impact of the earthquake and the embassy has set up two helplines +977 98511 07021, +977 98511 35141.
Fifty doctors have arrived from India to provide emergency services. India dispatched as many as four aircraft including a C-130 plane carrying three tonnes of relief supplies and a 40-member rescue team to Nepal.
The daughter of a local employee in the Indian embassy died and his wife suffered serious injuries when a house in the mission complex in Kathmandu collapsed during the quake.
Nearly 125 people from Maharashtra and Telangana are stranded in Nepal after the earthquake.
Around 80 people from Nashik had gone to Nepal for pilgrimage while 15-20 people were on a trekking expedition. 25 tourists from Hyderabad, who are in Kathmandu, are safe.
"Now, all of us are safe in an open ground, close to the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu," said Gowrishankar, who took the tourists.
Four Chinese nationals, including a climber, were kiled and five were critically injured in the earthquake. Hospitals were over-crowded with injured, with many of them being treated in the open outside the hospitals.
An emergency cabinet meeting has announced 29 districts as crisis zones, the Home Ministry said. The quake caused avalanches on Mount Everest, sending mountaineers running for cover.
Gyanendra Shrestha, an official at the Ministry of Tourism, said that 10 people including foreign climbers have been killed in the avalanche triggered by the earthquake.
The earthquake first struck around 11:56 am (local time) followed by aftershocks, Nepal Police spokesperson Kamal Singh Bam said.
Nepal's TV channels showed dozens of bodies lined up on ground after the earthquake. Television pictures also showed some of the people rescued from under the debris. A Nepali minister said there had been "massive damage" at the epicentre.
"We need support from the various international agencies which are more knowledgeable and equipped to handle the kind of emergency we face now," Information Minister Minendra Rijal said.
Initially measured at 7.5 magnitude, the quake was later revised to 7.9, with a depth of 15 kilometres.
National radio warned people to stay outdoors and keep calm as more aftershocks were feared. The Tribhuvan International Airport has been closed.
Modi talks to Nepal PM, assures all help
With massive earthquake hitting Nepal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to his counterpart Sushil Koirala as well as President Ram Baran Yadav and assured all help in dealing with the “tough” situation.
“Spoke to PM Sushil Koirala, who is in transit in Bangkok on his way to Kathmandu. Assured all support & assistance during this tough time,” Mr. Modi tweeted.
Mr. Modi, who is personally monitoring the situation at home as well as in Nepal, spoke to Mr. Yadav first as Mr. Koirala was abroad and not reachable. Later, Mr. Modi talked to Mr. Koirala and assured him of “all assistance to deal with the situation arising due to the earthquake”, the PMO said.
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson tweeted that an IAF c-130 Superhercules with NDRF relief team on board is airborne for Kathmandu and that more relief efforts were under way.
17 dead, 48 injured in earthquake in Bihar
Patna, Apr 25: At least 17 persons were killed and 48 injured in roof and wall collapse in Bihar after a high intensity earthquake rocked several parts of the country and Nepal today.
Special Secretary, State Disaster Management Department, Anirudh Kumar told PTI that six persons died in East Champaran district, while four others lost their lives in Sitamarhi, both sharing borders with Nepal, the epicentre of the quake.
Other deaths have been reported from Darbhanga (2), while one death each has been reported from Supual, Araria, West Champaran, Sheohar and Saran, he said.
The Disaster Management Special Secretary said 48 persons have been injured in quake-related incidents in various parts of the state.
The injured have been counted from West Champaran, Sheikhpura, East Champaran, Sheohar, Nalanda, Munger, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Kisannganj, Araria and Vaishali among others, he said.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who cut short his visit in Delhi and rushed back home in the wake of the earthquake, arrived here late this afternoon.
Kumar straight away went to secretariat from Patna airport to hold a meeting with senior officials over the earthquake's impact in the state, chief minister office sources said.
Vijay Sinha, Commandant of the 9th battalion of NDRF based at Bihta in Patna district, told PTI that each NDRF team comprising about 45 personnel have left for Supual, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj and Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
State DGP P K Thakur told PTI that following the chief minister's directives, all district police superintendents have been directed to alert the police stations on wireless and assess the extent of the damage.
Director, State Meteorological office, A K Sen told PTI there was a possibility of secondary jerks of the earthquake for the next 48 hours, particularly in areas like Darbhanga, Araria and Kisanganj bordering Nepal and an alert has been sounded to the state government in this regard.
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