Earthquakes in Nepal, April-May 2015

25 Apr 2015

A 7.8M earthquake struck in Nepal on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Tremors were felt as far as northern India, Bangladesh and along the country’s border with China. The quake’s epicenter was 77km northwest of the country’s capitol city, Kathmandu, near Lamjung.  Kathmandu was heavily damaged, especially the oldest part of the city which contains historic temples and palaces made of wood and unmortared brick. Villages in the mountainous area around Kathmandu, which sits in a valley, have been extremely difficult to reach due to numerous landslides and blocked roads. Many of these villages are partially or completely destroyed. The Government of Nepal announced that over 191,000 homes were destroyed and another 175,000 damaged by the quake.

Officials have declared the death toll to be over 8,000, but expect the number to rise as rubble is cleared. According to the United Nations, more than 2.8 million Nepalese people have been displaced.  The Nepalese government and international aid workers are struggling to provide tents, food and clean water to survivors.

Another 7.3M earthquake struck about 47 miles northeast of Kathmandu on Tuesday, May 12. This quake brought down additional buildings, some already damaged from the first quake, and  killed 117 people in Nepal and 17 in India.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20002926#impact_shakemap

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