Nepal Quake: Over 1,000 Dead, History Razed, Everest Shaken
Tens of thousands of people prepared to spend the night in the open
under a chilly and thundery sky after a powerful earthquake shook Nepal
on Saturday, killing more than 1,180 people, collapsing modern houses
and centuries-old temples, and triggering a landslide on the slopes of
Mount Everest. Officials said the death toll will rise as more reports
from far-flung areas come in.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which originated outside the capital
Kathmandu, was the worst tremor to hit the poor South Asian nation in
over 80 years. It was so powerful that it was felt all across the
northern part of neighboring India, Bangladesh,
Tibet and Pakistan where a total of 50 people died. The death toll in
Nepal was 1,130, but it is almost certain to rise, said deputy Inspector
General of Police Komal Singh Bam.
More than two dozen aftershocks jolted the area after the first quake,
which struck just before noon. At the time, Shrish Vaidya, who runs an
advertising agency, was in his two-story house outside the capital
Kathmandu with his arents.
"It is hard to describe. The house was shaking like crazy. We ran out
and it seemed like the road was heaving up and down," Vaidya, 46, told
The Associated Press. "I don't remember anything like this before. Even
my parents can't remember anything this bad."
All across the country, residents ran out of homes and buildings in
panic. Walls tumbled, trees swayed, power lines came crashing down and
large cracks opened up on streets and walls. And clouds of dust began to
swirl all around.
Once the first shaking stopped, Vaidya thought the family could return
indoors by the evening. But the jolts kept coming, and they felt safer
outdoors.
"It's cold and windy so we are all sitting in the car listening to the
news on FM radio," he said. "The experts are saying it's still not safe
to go back inside. No one can predict how big the next aftershock will
be."
So the family and their three domestic helpers ate dinner in the
compound with the headlights of their car providing the light.Vaidya's
wife and 10-year-old son are on holiday in the U.S. for which he was
grateful.
In his largely affluent neighborhood of low-rise, sturdy homes in
suburban Kathmandu the damage was relatively low. In other parts of the
city where the buildings are older and poorly built people have not been
as lucky.
There are forecasts of rain and thunder showers later Saturday and on
Sunday and the temperatures are in the mid-50s (14 Celsius), cold enough
to make camping outside uncomfortable.
Thousands of people were spending the night at Tudikhel, a vast open
ground in the middle of Kathmandu, just next to the old city that is
lined with old buildings and narrow lanes. Now it is in ruins.
People lay on plastic sheets or cardboard boxes, wrapped in blankets.
Mothers kept their children warm; some lit fire with whatever wood they
could find. Most were eating instant noodles and cookies.
Deepak Rauniar, a shop worker who was there with his friends, said: "We
are too scared to go back to our apartment. It is surrounded closely by
houses, most of them old. The houses could collapse while we are still
sleeping."
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