Kathmandu: More than 1,900 people have died and over 4,700 people have been injured in a massive earthquake of 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale which hit large parts of Nepal and India on Saturday.
The earthquake was the worst to hit the Himalayan country in 80 years. Major tremors were felt for nearly a minute across large swathes of Northern India including Delhi.
Over 40 people have died in India – 32 in Bihar, eight in Uttar Pradesh, and three in West Bengal, where 40 children were injured after their school was damaged in Malda town.
It also triggered an avalanche that has buried a part of the base camp for climbers bound for Mount Everest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a high-level meeting in Delhi on Saturday with ministers and top officials to assess the situation. After the meeting, the Prime Minister directed evacuation of tourists and immediate dispatch of relief and rescue teams to Nepal, as well as to affected areas in India.
He has appointed Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy to handle the aftermath in the states bordering Nepal.
Nepal’s capital Kathmandu has been left devastated with roads split open, and homes and iconic landmarks collapsed into rubble. There was little information coming from the outlying areas of the mountainous country and helicopters were circling overhead to get a sense of the damage.
The historic Dharahara Tower built in the 19th century in Kathmandu collapsed, trapping at least 200 people, Nepal police said.
The tower had been open to visitors for the last 10 years and had a viewing balcony on its eighth floor. Witnesses spoke of dead bodies being removed from the site.
Photographs from Kathmandu posted online showed buildings left in rubble, large cracks along roads and residents sitting in the street holding babies.
Hospitals across the impoverished nation of 28 million people struggled to cope with its worst quake in 80 years. They expected a fresh influx of patients on Sunday but medical supplies were running low.
Kathmandu`s Bir Hospital had received 300 to 350 patients with serious injuries throughout Saturday, and most of them died, said paramedic Dinesh Chaudhary. He said the hospital was procuring medicines from shops outside.
“There will be many more patients coming in tomorrow because only a very small part of the debris has been cleared,” he said.
The US Geological Survey said the quake, initially measured at 7.7 but upgraded to 7.9 magnitude, struck 80 km east of Pokhara.
Indian Embassy in Nepal has set up helpline: +977-9851107021, +977-9851135141
The External Affairs Ministry too has opened a 24-hour control room: +91-11-23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905