Late Saturday morning turned tragic across north India and more so in neighbouring Nepal when a high intensity earthquake wreaked havoc causing major loss of life and property across a vast stretch of the region today – intensity of earthquake was a mammoth 7.9 on Richter scale. As many as 2,000 people have been declared dead so far in Nepal, while in India the toll now is 57 with fresh tremors. Huge tremors also rocked the Delhi-NCR twice over, for second time at 12.17 pm, sending people rushing out of their buildings in panic – in a quirk of sorts, residents of Dwarka in Delhi did not feel a thing as is vouchsafed by their replies. The rest of India also felt the tremors to varying degrees. In some place the damage was severe while in others no lasting damage was done by the temblor. However, Bihar has suffered a severe loss of life and property due to the quake.
At least 51 people were killed in India due to the earthquake and close to 237 injured in various parts of the country, which destroyed or damaged several houses and buildings.
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, bordering Nepal, were the worst affected parts of India in the earthquake.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself monitoring the situation and issuing directives, massive rescue and relief operations were initiated on war-footing basis.
In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Nepal, a control room has been set up in Ministry of External Affairs to provide all help and information round the clock.
The numbers to the 24-hour Control Room are +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104 and +91 11 2301 7905, an official statement said.
In a warning of sorts of the earthquake, reports say Sikkim has been feeling tremors for the last three days. Check PHOTOS
This is the most powerful quake to hit the impoverished Himalayan nation in 81 years.
An Indian army mountaineering team found 18 bodies on Mount Everest on Saturday, an army spokesman said, the earthquake in Nepal unleashed an avalanche on the mountain at the start of the main climbing season.
Nepal’s Tourism Ministry could only confirm 10 deaths, but spokesman Gyanendra Shrestha said that the death toll could rise, and that the avalanche had buried part of the base camp. He said two tents at the camp had been filled with the injured.
Ministry officials estimated that at least 1,000 climbers, including about 400 foreigners, had been at base camp or on Everest when the earthquake struck.
President Pranab Mukherjee today said India was committed to assist Nepal in every possible way in dealing with the situation arising due to a powerful earthquake which shook the neighbouring country.
“Deeply distressed at loss of life & property due to earthquake in Nepal,” he said in a tweet. “India committed to assist Government of Nepal in every way possible in dealing with the situation,” Mukherjee said.
He also called upon state governments and agencies concerned to take all necessary steps to provide relief to those affected by the earthquake. “Heartfelt condolences to the families of deceased; prayers for speedy recovery of injured on account of earthquake,” the President said.
In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed the people to maintain calm.
“Earthquake tremors in Delhi. I appeal to people to maintain calm. Officials out in the field to assess the situation,” he said on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Panic triggered after the tremor and people rushed out of their offices, market places and buildings.
“As soon I felt the shock, we took stairs and rushed out of the building. All the residents waited outside for over 30 minutes expecting another spell of tremor,” Sudakshina Rathore, a Mayur Vihar resident said.
The netizens also shared their experiences on the social media and the hashtag #earthquake was trending.
Some residents also complained of mobile network congestion as they were trying to reach their friends and relatives soon after the earthquake.
At least six persons were killed and over a dozen injured as major parts of Uttar Pradesh felt tremors resulting in collapse of buildings and walls.
While three deaths were reported from Barabanki district adjoining the state capital, two were reported from Gorakhpur and one from Sant Kabir Nagar.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced a financial assistance of rupees five lakh to the kin of those killed in the earthquake, Rs 50,000 to grievously injured and Rs 20,000 to those having minor injuries, an official spokesman said here.
Two persons died and 17 others were injured in roof and wall collapse in the wake of a high intensity earthquake that rocked Bihar today. In view of the situation, five NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) teams have left for as many districts to help citizens in the wake of the earthquake and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is rushing back to Patna from New Delhi.
There are reports of 10-12 casualties in some states but we are awaiting confirmation. Damage to property also reported, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Darbhanga District Magistrate Kumar Ravi said that two persons, an eight-year-old child and a woman, died in roof and wall collapse in separate places in the district.
Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has asked DoT Secretary Rakesh Garg to take stock of the damage to telecom network in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh due to the earthquake and initiate measures to restore the network.
“Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has instructed the Telecom Secretary Garg to take stock of the damage done to the communication network in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh due to earthquake and initiate measures to restore network in both private and public sector at the earliest,” an official statement said.
Check out the earthquake timeline on Twitter:
While the child died at Mantara village under Gaura Boram block, the woman lost her life at Tikkapatthi village under Sanki police station area.
The DM said four of the injured persons have been admitted to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).
In Munger district, eleven persons were injured in incidents of house collapse, jumping from roof tops and while running in panic.
Shockingly, there were as many as 14 aftershocks that hit these areas. The severity of the earthquake can be gauged from the fact that even the 13th aftershock was of very high intensity of above 6.6 on Richter scale.
It was no wonder then that the effects of the quake in India have been felt as far down as Orissa.
The IMD said that the tremors second time round were measured at 6.6 on Richter scale. The epicenter was 77 km northwest of Kathmandu in Nepal. The second earthquake was of lower intensity than first one.
Kathmandu’s main civil hospital said 36 bodies had been counted so far after a 7.9 earthquake hit the impoverished Himalayan country of Nepal on Saturday.
Nepal’s Kantipur TV showed at least 21 bodies lined up on the ground The shallow quake struck west Kathmandu, causing buildings to collapse, injuring many and leaving a pall of dust over the city, witnesses said.
PM Narendra Modi called an emergency meeting at 3 pm to review the situation occurred due to earthquake.
One person was killed in a wall collapse even as several multi-storyed buildings developed cracks when an earthquake shook West Bengal.
Reports also indicate some damage happening in Siliguri, where a few buildings have reportedly collapsed. CM Mamata Banerjee is reportedly keeping a close watch on what is happening there.
“We are monitoring situation closely in Bengal specially in Darjeeling/Siliguri. Spoke to Sr Disaster Management team & others,” Banerjee tweeted.
“My prayers with the people of Nepal and across India after the massive earthquake. Hope everyone is safe. Stay calm,” she said in the micro-blogging site.
The situation in Nepal appears more troubling as several news organisation reported massive destruction due to earthquake in Nepal.
At least 10 people were killed and heavy casualties feared as a strong earthquake measuring 7.9 on Richter scale struck Nepal today bringing down a number of buildings including the centuries-old Dharhara tower in the heart of the capital trapping scores of people. The earthquake with epicentre at Lamjung, around 80 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, and had its impact in several cities in Bihar and West Bengal and eastern India. A number of aftershocks were felt for a long time after the quake.
Reports suggest that UNESCO World Heritage site ‘Kathmandu Darbar Square’ is badly damaged due to the quake.
In Dwarka, residents Aruja and Jyotsna said they did not feel a thing and that it was only when kin started calling them that they found out what had happened.
According to a senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official, services were not suspended but were put on restricted mode by slowing the speed of the metro trains, causing a little delay in the services.
A powerful earthquake in Nepal on Saturday triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, climbers said, raising fears for those on the world’s highest peak a year after another avalanche caused the deadliest incident on the mountain. Romanian climber Alex Gavan said on Twitter that there had been a “huge avalanche” and “many, many” people were up on the mountain. “Running for life from my tent,” Gavan said. “Everest base camp huge earthquake then huge avalanche.” Another climber, Daniel Mazur, said Everest base camp had been “severely damaged” and his team was trapped. “Please pray for everyone,” he said on his Twitter page.
The north coastal Andhra Pradesh experienced mild tremors today after a powerful earthquake struck Nepal and parts of north and northeast India. However, no casualty or damage to property were reported.
According to Cyclone Warning Centre here, the tremors were felt for a few seconds in Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and East Godavari districts.
“It is a common phenomenon to experience tremors after an earthquake. However, there is no need to panic. No loss of life or property were reported,” the cyclone centre officials said.
A major earthquake rocked Sikkim today, triggering landslides in various parts of the state.
The quake, having its epicentre in Nepal, was felt at about 11:48 AM, officials said.
A series of minor landslides have been reported from various places in the state they said, but there was no report of any loss of life so far, they said.
Sikkim has been experiencing minor jolts continuously for the past three days, met department said.
Many pictures were posted online showing the extent of damage.
Pictures from Kathmandu show damage of 7.9 magnitude #earthquake; reports of injuries http://t.co/HDOgZ7UDka pic.twitter.com/ycP7X2WbuL
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) April 25, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about the earthquake. He said, “We are in the process of finding more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home & in Nepal.”
We are in the process of finding more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home & in Nepal. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2015
Major tremors felt across India as earthquake measuring more than 6 on Richter Scale shook the country. Tremors were felt in Delhi and NCR region for a minute at 11.45 am. The tremors lasted for more than 30 seconds, measured 7.5 on Richter scale.
News has come in about an Earthquake in Nepal. Several parts of India also experienced tremors. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2015
Narendra Modi also spoke to Nepal’s President Ram Baran in connection with the quake. News reports said that the epicenter of the quake was Nepal.
PM is trying to reach Nepal PM Shri Sushil Koirala, who is abroad. He has spoken to President of Nepal Shri Ram Baran Yadav. — PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 25, 2015
The tremors were also felt in Kolkata, Lucknow and other parts of North India.
Tweets and posts on various social media sites suggest major devastation in Kathmandu.
Massive destruction in #Kathmandu So many aftershocks now. #earthquake pic.twitter.com/IfABAlAf7J — Sanjog DUTTA (@sanjogdutta) April 25, 2015
Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suhil Kumar Modi tweeted saying that tremors were also felt in Kishanganj area of Bihar.
किशनगंज व आसपास के क्षेत्रों में भूकंप के झटके लगे.. — Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) April 25, 2015
Tremors were felt in several parts of Odisha following a severe earthquake in many parts of East and North India triggering panic among the people. The earthquake measuring 7.5 on the richter scale with its epicentre in Nepal was felt at about 11.43 am in the state, MeT officials said. The intensity in Odisha was about two MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale, about 875 km north-north-west of Bhubaneswar, they said. However, there was no immediate report about injury to anyone or damage to property from any part of the state, officials said.
The tremor, which shook the East and other parts of India, was also felt in Manipur today. There was no report of casualties or damage to property in the quake, a state official said. The quake was felt at 11:40 am.
Mild tremors lasting about 30 seconds were reported from parts of Mangaluru city around noon today, triggering panic in the area.
The tremors were felt at the hill road, Bavuta Gudde and the light house at 11.50 am, Mining and Geology department officials said.
The tremors shook furniture in some offices from where people ran out in panic, local people in the area said.
According to Department of Mining and Geology Deputy Director Ramappa, the intensity of the mild tremor had not been established yet. It might be slightly over one magnitude on the Richter scale, which would not cause any damage.
Mild tremors were also reportedly felt at Manipal and Udupi, the officials said.
A low intensity tremor was felt in some parts of Kochi today, triggering panic among people residing in high rise buildings, officials said.
Officials said experts in the Seismology Department are assessing whether it was an after effect of the high-intensity quake that rocked Delhi and many parts of East and North India.
“According to information, it was a low intensity earthquake of magnitude less than three on the Richter scale. Initial inputs say that mild tremors were felt some parts of Kochi city,” Ernakulam Additional District Magistrate B Ramachandran said.
Very low intensity tremors were felt in some areas in Chennai today, alarming people as they rushed out of a few commercial and residential complexes, officials said.
“The tremors that were felt in Chennai were of very low intensity,” a senior IMD official in-charge of seismology monitoring said.
“The intensity is obviously less as it depends on the distance from the epicentre of the earthquake,” he added.
“The intensity of tremors is also determined by a host of other factors including presence of rocks and fault line,” he said.
“People can feel the tremors well only if it exceeds the moderate level of five on the Richter Scale.”
The tremors were felt only in some parts of the city and people in a few commercial and residential complexes rushed out to know what was happening, officials said.
Terror and panic in Kathmandu as deadly earthquake struck
(Reuters) Nepalese tourist guide Naba Raj Amgai had just returned home from a mountain-biking trip when his home in the capital Kathmandu began to shake, sending a fridge and television smashing to the ground.
He and his wife bolted for the stairs. Outside, his neighbours were pouring onto the street, shouting and crying.
“It was horrible,” said Amgai, who was standing out on the street several hours later. “I still haven’t gone back inside.”
The magnitude 7.9 earthquake, Nepal’s biggest for 81 years, struck west of Kathmandu just before noon on Saturday. Officials said it had killed at least 1,130 people in the Himalayan nation and dozens in neighbouring countries.
The quake was also felt across Bangladesh, northern India and Chinese Tibet, collapsing ancient buildings, modern complexes and modest village homes.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and confusion in the Nepali capital when the ground started shaking beneath their feet, sending people running out of their homes and onto streets choked with thick dust.
“The ground underneath me was shaking. I thought I was going to sink into it,” said Hari Adhikari, a 60-year-old vegetable seller.
In Patan, a densely packed neighbourhood, a Reuters reporter heard neighbours screaming as the first tremor hit.
“I was eating near the city centre in Kathmandu when suddenly the tables started trembling and paintings on the wall fell on the ground,” Devyani Pant, an Indian tourist in Kathmandu, told Reuters. “I screamed and rushed outside.”
Across the region, people were injured in the scramble to get out of shaking buildings and onto safer ground.
In the Indian state of West Bengal, dozens of children were caught up in stampedes to leave two different school buildings, according to an official in Malda district, with several sustaining minor injuries.
In Bangladesh, buildings across the old part of the capital Dhaka cracked from the impact, and several workers in a garment factory were hurt as they rushed to escape.
“TREMENDOUS CRISIS”
As the aftershocks continued to rock Kathmandu, people remained in the streets.
Phone lines were jammed.
“We have been flooded with phone calls from all around the world,” Mohan Krishna Sapkota, joint secretary in the Nepal tourism ministry, told Reuters. “We are facing a tremendous crisis here and it is hard to even assess what the death toll and the extent of damage could be.”
The ministry estimated that 300,000 foreign tourists and trekkers were in Nepal when the earthquake struck. There were reports that at least 18 people had been killed in an avalanche unleashed by the earthquake that swept through the climbers’ base camp on the world’s highest mountain, Everest.
In hospitals in the capital, nurses and doctors moved patients outside, setting up makeshift treatment areas. One patient told a Reuters reporter he had broken his leg when he jumped from the third floor of a building.
By nightfall, as the death toll climbed, volunteers had started to help authorities gather bodies and pile them into ambulances. Residents, instructed not to return to their homes, had begun to set up camps for the night.
At the Smarak school in Patan, some 350 people gathered on a playing field, setting up tents, with volunteers handing out tea and water.
Yira Lama, who had been living in a rented room in Kathmandu but comes from a village not far from the epicentre, said he planned to stay the night there.
“I spoke to my family in the village and they said our house has been completely destroyed,” he said.
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