Earthquake measuring 7.9 magnitude struck 80 km (50 miles) east of Pokhara in Nepal Saturday April 25,2015

 

A massive earthquake measuring 7.9 magnitude struck 80 km (50 miles) east of Pokhara in Nepal on Saturday, causing some buildings in the capital Kathmandu to collapse

The U.S. Geological Survey revised the magnitude from 7.5 to 7.9 but then lowered it to 7.8. It said the quake hit at 11-56 a.m. local time (0611 GMT) at Lamjung. It was the largest shallow quake since the 8.2 temblor off the coast of Chile on April 1, 2014.

A magnitude 7 quake is capable of widespread and heavy damage while an 8 magnitude quake can cause tremendous damage.

Nepal suffered its worst recorded earthquake in 1934, which measured 8.0 and all but destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.

 Residents of Kathmandu ran into the streets and other open spaces as buildings fell, throwing up clouds of dust, and wide cracks opened on paved streets and the walls of city buildings

 Witnesses said the earthquake continued for as long as 10 minutes.

At least 449 people were confirmed dead in Nepal, including 181 in the capital, Kathmandu alone, according to the police

The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 struck before noon and was most severely felt in the capital as well as the densely populated Kathmandu Valley. A magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and smaller aftershocks continued to ripple through the region for hours

A historic tower built in the 19th century collapsed in the Nepali capital Kathmandu following a severe earthquake on Saturday and at least one body was removed as police cordoned off the area

 

The Dharara Tower, built in 1832, was a historic landmark that had been open to visitors for the last 10 years and had a viewing balcony on its eighth floor.

One body was removed from the tower and a second lay further up the road

The authorities have closed the Kathmandu airport due to the quake. All flight operations in and out of Kathmandu have been suspended until further notice
All Indian carriers- national airline Air India and private carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet, have put on hold their flight services till they get a go-ahead from the Nepalese aviation authorities

Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik's Message for Helping Earthquake Victims

 Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sculpture with an aim of spreading awareness among people about the need to help those hit by the calamity.

The sand sculpture with a message "Help the earthquake victims" has been created at the Puri beach in Odisha.

"The earthquake was a tragic incident. Scenes from the affected areas shown on television are horrifying. I appeal to everyone throughout the globe to come forward and help the victims in Nepal and India," said Mr Pattnaik.

The sand artist said he used about five tons of sand to create the sculpture with intricate details and hoped that his sculpture would encourage people the world over to step forward and help victims of the earthquake in Nepal and India.

India's Aid to Nepal Named ' Operation Maitri'

The Indian Army has named the aid to Nepal 'Operation Maitri' or friendship, a day after it started extending help to the neighbouring country that was hit by a massive earthquake just before noon on Saturday, leaving a trail of death and destruction.

In addition to the specialist teams of its National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), India has already moved large amounts of relief material to the Himalayan kingdom, besides its Air Force moving essential supplies to Nepal and flying back over 500 of its stranded citizens from its capital Kathmandu since late Saturday.

"India is moving in massive amount of rescue and relief material, equipment and specialists the second day (Sunday)," said Sitanshu Kar, the spokesperson for the defence ministry.

"Ten flights are planned for Kathmandu Sunday April 26,2015.These would be airlifting army's forward hospitals, engineering task forces, water, food, National Disaster Response Force teams, medical personnel and equipment, blankets and tents."

India Sends 'Rail Neer' Water to Quake-Hit Nepal

The Indian Railways, which produces its own packaged drinking water to serve its passengers, dispatched some 100,000 bottles of 'Rail Neer' to quake-hit Nepal on Saturday night through a special Indian Air Force aircraft that also carried other relief operations.
Rail Neer is produced by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd

A total of over 2500 people were confirmed killed in the 7.9 magnitude quake, making it the worst such disaster to hit Nepal since 1934 when 8,500 died.

Barely any sign of an organised relief effort was visible outside Nepal's capital on Sunday, as aid agencies struggled to fly and truck relief supplies to a country stricken by its worst earthquake in eight decades

People queued for water dispensed from the back of trucks, while the few stores still open had next to nothing on their shelves. Crowds jostled at one pharmacy to snap up medicine

Thousands of desperate Nepalese spent another night in the open in the early hours of Monday, terrorised by strong aftershocks that continued to shake the country two days after a massive quake struck, killing almost 2,500 people.

Across the capital, Kathmandu, and beyond, exhausted families whose homes were either flattened or at risk of collapse laid mattresses out on streets and erected tents to shelter from rain. The sick and wounded also lay out in the open, unable to find beds in the city's overwhelmed hospitals.

Hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley were overcrowded,running out of room to store dead bodies and short on emergency supplies

Across the country, hundreds of villages have been left to fend for themselves

Thousands of people have to stay outside of their homes, which have been damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. Shelter assistance is urgently needed," said Save the Children's Peter Olyle, who is based in Kathmandu

More than 1,100 people - or half of the total confirmed dead in Nepal - were in the Kathmandu Valley, a crossroads of the ancient civilisations of Asia and economic hub of the Himalayan nation of 28 million

Eight million people have been affected by the massive earthquake in Nepal - more than a quarter of the country's population - the United Nations says.

International aid has started arriving but there is still huge need - 1.4 million require food aid, the UN said.

Timeline of Earthquakes that have rocked India and Southeast Asian countries since 2001

April 25, 2015: An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale strikes Lamjung district in Nepal.
November 23, 2014: A 6.3 magnitude quake hits China, killing atleast two people
November 23, 2014: Over 50 people were injured and about 10 houses collapsed after a 6.7-magnitude quake hit Japan.
May 5, 2014: An earthquake of 6.0 magnitude occurred in the Bay of Bengal and tremors were felt across India.
September 25, 2013: A 7.7-magnitude quake hit Pakistan's remote south-west province of Balochistan killed over 300 people.
April 20, 2013: A quake of 6.6 magnitude hit a remote mountainous area of southwestern China's Sichuan province, killing around 150 people and injuring several people.
September 20, 2011: At least 68 people died and over 300 were injured in a quake of 6.8 magnitude that struck Sikkim.
September 22, 2009: A high-magnitude earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale killed at least 10 people in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and left dozens more injured.
October 8, 2005: The magnitude 7.6 earthquake killed at least 86,000 people, injured more than 69,000 and caused extensive damage in northern Pakistan.
December 26, 2004: A quake of powerful 9.3 magnitude on the Richter Scale hit countries in the Asia Pacific region, killing over 2 lakh people.
January 26, 2001: A massive earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale hit the town of Bhuj in Gujarat, killing over 10,000 people