The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Nepal climbed above 2,430 today Sunday (latest figure, Al Jazeera) and is continuing to rise. The Himalayan country was shaken by a magnitude 7.8 quake that brought down houses and centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mount Everest.

More than 5,000 people had been injured, with the number of dead and injured expected to rise in the coming days. Nepalese police officials said more than 700 people died in Kathmandu alone.

An in-touch resident was asked by Humanist Movement members about their fellows in Nepal to which he, Krishna Sadan Awal replied, all so far reported OK and about his own family and friends he said, “We all are fine. Our house is damaged, and we are staying outside. The whole of Bhaktapur city is damaged and ten percent houses are destroyed. People are very scared. Now, nobody is living in main city of Bhaktapur. We are very sad. Thousands of people have died. My heart is crying.”

An avalanche triggered by the quake hit a section of Everest’s base camp, killing at least 17 and injuring over 60 others, it was reported locally. Further up the mountain, about 100 climbers were safe but facing difficulty getting down due to a disrupted route back to safety. The situation of those on other routes on the mountain still unknown.

Saturday’s earthquake, which originated outside Kathmandu, was the worst to hit Nepal for eight decades. The quake destroyed the old, historic part of Kathmandu, and was felt all across the northern part of India, also in India’s capital, New Delhi. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sikkim, which share borders with Nepal, reported building damage. The tremor was also felt down in Bangladesh, beside in Tibet and Pakistan.

The possibility of such a large quake has been discussed regularly but no boots-on-the-ground work resulted from those discussions. This was mostly because the country has suffered disabling internal conflicts over recent years resulting in poor governance and the sadly still continuing poverty that has been with Nepal for many year despite the large number of overseas migrant workers sending cash back home.

 

For more photos and info see: http://www.onlinekhabar.com/category/news-headlines/