Nepal was celebrating Loktantra Diwas, or Democracy Day, on April 25. People were just eating lunch or were preparing lunch when there was a very strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8. Buildings collapsed and transmission towers that carried electricity also collapsed. The Nepalese government announced 8492 deaths and 16,808 injured on May 13.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 81km from the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu. The earthquake was strong enough to injure citizens not only in Nepal but also in China and India. Starting from the first earthquake at midday on April 25, 32 aftershocks between magnitude 4.2 and 5.7 were recorded by the morning of April 28. Looking at the district at the epicenter, Gorkha, an Indian journalist, Jugal Purohit, told the BBC, “What we are witnessing here are villages completely devastated, destroyed, and, in a sense, rubbed off the map of Nepal.” The earthquake devastated Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Good Neighbors Nepal office reported 50 to 60 percent of the villages at the epicenter in Gorkha and 90 percent of hospitals and public offices were destroyed.
Landslides followed the earthquake in mountainous regions of Nepal. People buried by landslides must be rescued within 72 hours. However, small villages around the epicenter were only accessible by helicopter, and the lack of proper equipment slowed the rescue work. Landslides also affected Mount Everest. An avalanche caused 19 deaths including Daniel Fredinburg, a Google executive.
India was the first country to respond to the Nepal earthquake. Indian rescue and emergency medical teams landed in Tribhuvan International Airport six hours after the earthquake. Moreover, 90 percent of Nepalese soldiers were committed to recovery work after the earthquake as well as rescue teams from many other countries. However, it was not easy due to landslides blocking the roads that connect the affected regions. The lack of helicopters and pilots to carry aid slowed the process of recovery.
Unfortunately, the earthquake on April 28 was not the end. An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 again shook Nepal on May 12. This caused at least 65 deaths, especially in Dolakha District and Sindhupalchowk District in northeastern Nepal. Soon, the rainy season will come in Nepal, and many are worrying about possible landslides and floods due to the weakened ground after the succession of earthquakes.
As Nepal is an underdeveloped country, they had an inadequate infrastructure to endure the strong earthquake. As a result, it caused thousands of casualties. We can give some aid to help the quick recovery of Nepal, which requires a tremendous amount of money.
