-- Death toll in Nepal has reached
over 2200. In India, it is around 60. In countries other than Nepal, the figure is around 80.
-- Nepal had another aftershock
today - of 6.7 according to the USGS - the tremors of which were felt in Nepal,
many parts of India and Pakistan. It was a strong aftershock with epicentre 17
Kms South of Kodari and just 10 Kms deep. A tremor of magnitude 5 was also felt
after it.
-- Yesterday and today, Nepal has
continued to feel the aftershocks. The whole of the Kathmandu valley is badly
devastated. Social media is inundated with 'before and after' photographs. Many
heritage buildings are lost, completely decimated to the ground. The quake has
brought down entire localities and villages.
-- India was the first country that
sent its crew for rescue and relief work. C-130J and C-17 choppers reached with
relief material, experts, officials and National Disaster Response Force
personnel yesterday. Mi-17 helicopters were thrust into the operation as well.
-- Indian Prime Minister is holding
an emergency meeting at 3:30 PM after the strong aftershock today.
-- The death toll in Mount Everest
area, on and around its base camp, is around 20 and is expected to go with quake-induced
avalanches.
-- Nepal is epicentre of destruction.
Maximum reports are available from Kathmandu and Kathmandu valley while, with
the passing time, reports from other of quake-affected districts of Nepal will
also be made available. Right now, the power and water lines are down and not
working for most of the affected areas. Communication lines including the
internet are also badly hit.
-- The death-toll is expected to be
in tens of thousands. The US Geological Survey has designated the danger level
associated with Saturday's earthquake as red meaning it is expecting 'high
casualties and extensive damage and the disaster is likely widespread.
-- Nepal's population is around 28
million and a major part of it is badly affected. According to the United
Nations, in all, some 6.6 million people in Nepal are badly affected by
Saturday's earthquake and need national and international response. People are
staying outdoors. Houses remain empty with mass-scale damage to houses and
buildings and continued aftershocks.
-- Nepal is an impoverished country.
Tourism is one of the major factors pushing up the economy. Earth's highest
point, Mount Everest, is in Nepal and this, along with the Himalayan range, is
hot trekking spot for tourists across the globe, earning the much required
tourism money.
-- Due to the quake, around 300,000 foreign
tourists are trapped in Nepal.
-- India, while helping the country
with rescue and relief work and working on the reconnaissance missions, is also
evacuating its people stranded there.
-- Given the massive nature of
earthquake and the destruction in its aftermath, help from various countries is
reaching in Nepal, especially from its neighbours, India, China and Pakistan.
They are trying to help the landlocked nation as well as evacuating their
people trapped there. They are there with food items, equipments to rescue the survivors
and to find the dead bodies from under the rubble, medical teams to help
people, officials to engage in rescue and relief work, experts in these circumstances,
reconnaissance missions for Kathmandu valley and other quake affected areas of
Nepal and so far.
-- From India, for 72 hours, all
calls to Nepal on the BSNL network will be local calls while the same will be
free for 48 hours on Airtel network.
-- Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet
have announced to carry free cargo to Nepal in the aftermath.
-- A strong earthquake yesterday,
around Noon, had hit Nepal badly, sending strong tremors in the neighbouring
countries of India, China, Pakistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh. While North and
Eastern India were strongly hit with Bihar facing the maximum damage in India,
in Nepal, it caused massive destruction the scale of which was to realize in
coming hours.
Related post:
UPADTES SO FAR: NEPAL EARTHQUAKE
– TREMORS IN INDIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES
http://severallyalone.blogspot.in/2015/04/upadtes-so-far-nepal-earthquake-tremors.html
