Summary
- More than 1,000 people have been reported dead after a huge 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal
The country’s deputy prime minister, Bamdev Gautam, has declared a state of emergency and appealed for humanitarian assistance across the region.
18 climbers were found dead on Mount Everest after the tremor triggered an avalanche. Many more are trapped.
The total death toll has risen quickly throughout the day, and is now thought to include at least 634 in the Kathmandu Valley and 300 more in the capital.
36 people have also been reported dead India, 12 in China, four in Bangladesh and six in Tibet.
The quake caused dozens of buildings in Kathmandu to collapse, including the historic Dharahara Tower.
The city’s main hospital is overwhelmed by casualties and residents are facing a night on the streets with nowhere to go.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has ordered an immediate dispatch of relief and medical teams to Nepal, and the evacuation of Indian tourists.
UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond said the government was in close contact with Nepal, and the British Embassy is offering assistance to the authorities and British Nationals in the country.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/apr/25/nepal-earthquake-nation-worst-tremor-80-years-kathmandu-live-updates----
UPDATE:
- The death toll from the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday has risen to more than 2,500. More than 5,000 people have been injured. Powerful aftershocks today between Kathmandu and Everest unleashed more avalanches in the Himalayas and caused panic in the capital, where hospital workers stretchered patients out into the street as it was too dangerous treat them indoors.
At least 17 people believed to have been killed on Everest, and 61 injured, by an avalanche which left mountaineers calling for helicopter assistance to evacuate the most badly wounded.
The UK government has announced that it will donate £5m to help the rescue effort in Nepal.
A state of emergency has been declared Many historic landmarks, including the Dharahara tower, have been reduced to rubble following the quake.
Governments are scrambling to locate thousands of their nationals and relatives took to social media to find their loved ones.
The international community has also pledged support and aid packages to Nepal. The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has said the US will pledge $1m to the aid effort and will also assist with a disaster response team. Australia has also pledged a Aus$5m aid package, while India, Sri Lanka, the UK, China and others are all sending disaster response teams to assist in search and rescue.
Pope Francis led prayers in St Peter’s Square for the dead, displaced and injured in Nepal and surrounding areas.
Weather reports suggested that survivors of the quake - who are sleeping outside because of fear of unsafe building - will face heavy downpours in the next week.
The quakes caused widespread damage to Nepal’s infrastructure which has further hampered search and rescue operations. Injured climbers at Mount Everest, where an avalanche struck following the quake, have been flown by helicopter to receive medical treatment.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/apr/26/nepal-earthquake-death-toll-exceeds-1500-rolling-report----
UPDATE:
Nepal earthquake: Overall confirmed total across country is more than 4,000 dead and almost 7,000 injured, with officials saying about 100,000 people left homeless
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/27/nepal-earthquake-fears-grow-for-uncontacted-villages-as-more-than-3200-confirmed-dead?CMP=ema_565----
UPDATE:
The death toll in the massive earthquake which struck Nepal on Saturday has passed 6,000, and many thousands are still unaccounted for.
A home ministry official said the 6,134 fatalities had been confirmed, with 13,906 injured.
Although the battered south Asian nation celebrated the rescue of two people pulled out alive from the wreckage of buildings in Kathmandu on Thursday, the sheer extent of the destruction is becoming clear.
Thousands of villages have been devastated, with up to 90% of clinics and schools in some districts rendered unusable.
...
Hundreds of thousands of people made homeless by the quake, which registered 7.8 magnitude, are yet to receive aid because of logistic bottlenecks, poor infrastructure and a chaotic government response.
Three thousand people are still unaccounted for in the badly hit Sindhupalchowk district, while little is known about northern areas of the Gorkha district where about 10,000 live. Local officials fear widespread destruction.
A local religious leader who had flown over the zone said people there were living in appalling conditions.
“There are still injured there who have not been treated. Whole villages are flattened. They need tents very badly,” Kempo Chimed Tsering said.
Kathmandu is slowly returning to normal with power supplies and communication networks restored to most of the city.
“I think it’s over now. I feel safe now,” said Vivek Ksimdung, 20, a student in the city.
However, many remain terrified of another tremor. Police have arrested two men for spreading rumours that a second major earthquake had been predicted. They will be charged with “inciting panic among the public”.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/01/nepal-earthquake-death-toll-passes-6000-with-thousands-still-missing
