Kathmandu: A powerful, 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal’s capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley before noon Saturday, collapsing houses, centuries-old temples and cutting open roads in the worst tremor in the Himalayan nation in over 80 years.
Dozens of people with injuries were being brought to the main hospital in central Kathmandu.
At least two people were killed. At the main hospital in Kathmandu, people with broken limbs and arms were being rushed in for treatment. It was unclear how many people have been injured.
Photographs posted online showed buildings left in rubble, large cracks along roads and worried residents sitting in the street holding babies.
Reaching out to Nepal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the country’s President Ram Baran Yadav.
“PM is trying to reach Nepal PM Shri Sushil Koirala, who is abroad. He has spoken to President of Nepal Shri Ram Baran Yadav,” the PMO tweeted.
Prime Minister has also taken report of the situation in districts of UP and Bihar that are bordering Nepal besides speaking to the Sitamarhi MP.
Dozens of people with injuries were being brought to the main hospital in central Kathmandu.
China’s state broadcaster said one Chinese tourist was killed in Nepal, but there was no independent confirmation.
News has come in about an Earthquake in Nepal. Several parts of India also experienced tremors.
The earthquake also shook several cities across northern India, and was felt as far away as Lahore in Pakistan. The epicenter was 80 kilometers (49 mile) northwest of Kathmandu.
Several buildings collapsed in the center of the capital, the ancient Old Kathmandu, including centuries-old temples and towers, said resident Prachanda Sual. Among them was the Dharahara Tower, one of Kathmandu’s landmarks built by Nepal’s royal rulers in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized historical monument.
It was reduced to rubble and there were reports of people trapped in the rubble.
Old Kathmandu city is a warren of tightly packed, narrow lanes with poorly constructed homes piled on top of each other.
Sual said he saw people running through the streets in panic. Ambulance sirens blared and government helicopters hovered overhead.
National radio warned people to stay outdoors and maintain calm because more aftershocks were feared. A 6.6-magnitude aftershock hit about an hour after the initial quake.
Dozens of people were gathered in the parking lot of Kathmandu’s Norvic International Hospital, where thin mattresses had been spread on the ground for patients rushed outside, some patients wearing hospital pajamas, while doctors and nurses were treating people. A woman with a bandage on her head sat in a set of chairs pulled from the hospital waiting room.
We are in the process of finding more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home & in Nepal.
Doctors and nurses had hooked up some patients to IV drops in the parking lot, or were giving people oxygen.
Nepal’s Information Minister Minendra Rijal told NDTV station that there are reports of damage in and around Kathmandu but no immediate word on casualties. He said rescue teams were on the scene.
The Kathmandu Valley is densely populated with nearly 2.5 million people, and the quality of buildings is often poor.
An Associated Press reporter in Kathmandu said a wall in his compound collapsed and there was damage to nearby buildings.
In India, Head Operations Seismology of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) J L Gautam said: “The earthquake hit between latitude 28.1 North and Longitude 84.6 East.”
The tremors, which were felt in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, lasted for a minute, triggering panic and forcing people to rush out of their houses and offices.
There were no immediate reports of loss of life or damage to property in Delhi.
Officials said Metro train services in Delhi were also affected due to the earthquake.
Mohammad Shahab, a resident from Lahore, Pakistan, said he was sitting in his office when the earthquake rocked the city near the border with India.
He said the tremors continued for a while but now the situation was normal.
The sustained quake also was felt in India’s capital of New Delhi. AP reporters in Indian cities of Lucknow in the north and Patna in the east also reported strong tremors.
Nepal suffered its worst recorded earthquake in 1934, which measured 8.0 and all but destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.
The U.S. Geological Survey revised the magnitude from 7.5 to 7.9 and said the quake hit at 11:56 a.m. local time (0611 GMT) at Lamjung a shallow depth of 11 kilometers (7 miles). An earthquake’s magnitude increases by 10 times with each increase in the number. A magnitude 7 quake is capable of widespread and heavy damage while an 8 magnitude quake can cause tremendous damage.
