Nepal Earthquake 2015 - Just before noon local time Saturday (2:15 a.m. ET), a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal. The powerful quake reportedly devastated four nations and killed almost 2,000 lives.
Considered to be the worst quake to hit the Himalayan country in almost a century, the Nepal Earthquake 2015 caused a high number of deaths and injuries. According to NBC News, at least 51 deaths were recorded in India, 17 in Tibet and two in Bangladesh as death toll continues to rise. Two Chinese citizens were also killed at the Nepal-China border.
The powerful Nepal earthquake 2015 shook the poverty-stricken nation on April 25 near its capital, Katmandu. The New York Times reported the quake flattened sections of the city's historic center and trapped dozens of tourists in a 200-foot watchtower that crashed down into pieces.
The authorities said on Saturday that they had pulled about 60 bodies from the rubble of the nine-story Dharahara tower, which was the most breathtaking architectural loss. Photographer and writer Kashish Das Shrestha spent much of the day in the old city, but said he still can't believe that the tower was gone.
"I was here yesterday, I was here the day before yesterday, and it was there," he said. "Today it's just gone. Last night, from my terrace, I was looking at the tower. And today I was at the tower - and there is no tower."
On Sunday morning, Nepal officials faced the destruction and reported that most of the 1,931 deaths occurred in Katmandu and the surrounding valley. Since the quake touched a vast expanse of the subcontinent, more than 4,700 people had been injured as buildings fell and wide cracks opened on paved streets and in the walls of city buildings.
The Nepal earthquake 2015 also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest a day after the quake hit Nepal. The Guardian learned that the quake struck a section of the mountain's base camp. A total of 17 bodies were found on Mount Everest while 61 others were injured.
Almost 100 climbers were reportedly safe. However, they're facing difficulty getting down as the route back to safety was damaged. The situation of more people on other routes on the mountain remain unknown but rescue efforts are currently ongoing.
Meanwhile, dozens of aftershocks shook Nepal on Saturday and Sunday as people sought shelter where they could. CNN also noted that the seemingly endless aftershocks further traumatized the survivors.
As the Nepal earthquake 2015 wrecked houses, flattened centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mount Everest, Nepalese authorities continually revised the number of casualties as the death toll continues to rise.
