At least 1,800 dead after quake ravages Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Tens of thousands of people spent the night under a chilly sky after a powerful earthquake devastated Nepal on Saturday, killing at least 1,865 people across the region, flattening sections of the capital’s historic center, and triggering a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.
Officials said the death toll would rise as reports came in from remote areas. At least 5,000 people were injured.
Strong aftershocks continued to jolt the region as the rescue operation got into full swing at daybreak Sunday. Most areas were without power and water.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which originated outside the capital, Kathmandu, was the worst tremor to hit the South Asian nation in more than 80 years. It was strong enough to be felt all across the northern India, Bangladesh, China’s region of Tibet and Pakistan. At least 60 people died in those areas.
The death toll in Nepal alone had reached 1,805, authorities said.
“We never imagined that we would face such devastation,” Nepal’s information minister, Minendra Rijal, said at a news conference. He said schools would be closed for five days in affected areas. He encouraged people to conserve fuel by not driving, and he urged pharmacies to stay open all night so that the injured could have access to first-aid supplies and medicine.
Most areas were without power and water Sunday, but with Kathmandu airport reopened, first aid flights began delivering aid supplies. Workers were sending out tents and relief goods in trucks and helicopters, said disaster management official Rameshwar Dangal. He said government and private schools have been turned into shelters.
Roads to Gorkha district, the site of the epicenter, were blocked by landslides, hindering rescue teams, chief district official Prakash Subedi said. Teams are trekking on foot through mountain trails to reach remote villages, and helicopters would also be deployed, he said when contacted by telephone.
Mukesh Kafle, the head of Nepal Electricity Authority, said power had been restored fully to the main government office, the airport and hospitals. But the damage to the electricity cables and poles was making it difficult to restore power across many parts of the country.
Within hours of the quake, hospitals had filled up with hundreds of injured people, and by Sunday, their numbers swelled to nearly 5,000. With organized relief and rescue largely lacking, many survivors were brought to hospitals by friends and relatives in motorized rickshaws, flatbed trucks and cars. Residents used crude tools and their bare hands to rescue those trapped in rubble.
More than two dozen aftershocks jolted the area after the first quake, which struck just before noon. At the time, Shrish Vaidya, who runs an advertising agency, was in his two-story house outside Kathmandu with his parents.
“It is hard to describe. The house was shaking like crazy. We ran out and it seemed like the road was heaving up and down,” said Vaidya, 46. “I don’t remember anything like this before. Even my parents can’t remember anything this bad.”
While the extent of the damage and the scale of the disaster were yet to be known, the quake will likely put a huge strain on the resources of this poor country best known for Everest, the highest mountain in the world, and its rich Hindu culture. The economy of Nepal, a nation of 27.8 million people, relies heavily on tourism, principally trekking and mountain climbing.
The quake triggered an avalanche Saturday that swept over part of an Everest base camp, flattening tents and killing at least 17 climbers and guides and leaving an unknown number injured or missing, said a mountaineering guide, Ang Tshering.
In Washington, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States had authorized an initial $1 million for emergency humanitarian needs. The U.S. Agency for International Development was preparing to send a disaster response team and is likely to also send a specialized urban search-and-rescue team, the State Department said.
“To the people in Nepal and the region affected by this tragedy we send our heartfelt sympathies,” Kerry said. “The United States stands with you during this difficult time.”
Kathmandu’s airport was closed to commercial flights, but Indian air force planes were allowed to bring in 43 tons of relief material, including tents and foods, and nearly 200 rescuers, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said. The planes were returning to New Delhi with Indian citizens who had been in Kathmandu.
The Israeli army said in a statement Saturday that it would send military airplanes filled with equipment and personnel to assist in rescue efforts in Nepal, including medical, search-and-rescue and logistical professionals.
Seismologists have expected a major earthquake in western Nepal, where there is pent-up pressure from the grinding between tectonic plates.
Though many have worried about the stability of the capital’s concrete high-rises, the most terrible damage Saturday was to the oldest part of the city, which is studded with temples and palaces made of wood and unmortared brick.
Four of the area’s seven UNESCO World Heritage sites were severely damaged in the earthquake: Bhaktapur Durbar Square, a temple complex built in the shape of a conch shell; Patan Durbar Square, which dates to the third century; Basantapur Durbar Square, which was the residence of Nepal’s royal family until the 19th century; and the Boudhanath Stupa, one of the oldest Buddhist monuments in the Himalayas.
For many, the most breathtaking architectural loss was the nine-story Dharahara Tower, which was built in 1832 on the orders of the queen. The tower had recently reopened to the public, and visitors could ascend a narrow spiral staircase to a viewing platform around 200 feet above the city. Police said Saturday that they had pulled about 60 bodies from the rubble of the tower.
Nepali journalist and author Shiwani Neupane tweeted: “The sadness is sinking in. We have lost our temples, our history, the places we grew up.”
Forecasts called for rain and thundershowers Sunday, and the temperatures were in the mid-50s, cold enough to make camping outside uncomfortable.
“We hardly slept through the night,” said Ratna Singh, a vegetable vendor who had spent the night cuddled under a blanket with his wife and son. “It was cold and it rained briefly and it was uncomfortable, but I am glad I brought my family out to the open.”