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688 killed as 7.9 quake rocks Nepal, tremors felt across region

Dunya News

The quake struck 77 kilometres (48 miles) north west of Kathmandu.

KATHMANDU (Web Desk/ AFP/ Reuetrs) - A powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on Saturday, causing massive damage in the capital Kathmandu with strong tremors felt across neighbouring countries.

Hundreds of people were feared killed after earthquake ripped through large parts of the country, toppling office blocks and towers in the panic-stricken capital Kathmandu.

The death toll from the massive earthquake which devastated large parts of Nepal on Saturday has risen to 688, a senior home ministry official told Reuters.

Indian officials say at least 20 people have died in India as a result of the earthquake while dozens are injured.

At least a dozen bodies were taken away from the ruins of Kathmandu s landmark Dharahara tower, according to an AFP photographer who saw similar scenes of multiple casualties in other parts of the city.

While contact with Nepal was sporadic, a senior Nepalese diplomat warned that the final toll could run into many hundreds.

"We have received reports that there is a big loss of property and life in Nepal," Krishna Prasad Dhakal, the deputy chief of mission at Nepal s Embassy in New Delhi, told AFP.

"Possibly hundreds of people have died in various parts of the country, particularly in Kathmandu and Pokhara."

At least three people were known to have died in northern India while buildings in the capital New Delhi had to be evacuated.

Television footage showed that large numbers of offices and homes had collapsed in Kathmandu while roads had been split in two by the force of the impact.

Panicked residents rushed into the streets as the tremor erupted around midday, with the impact felt hundreds of miles away in big swathes of northern India and even in Bangladesh.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck 81 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Kathmandu at 0611 GMT, with walls crumbling and families racing outside of their homes.

"The walls of houses have collapsed around me onto the road. All the families are outside in their yards huddled together. The tremors are still going on," an AFP reporter said in Kathmandu.

Another resident recounted scenes of panic and mayhem.

"Everything started shaking. Everything fell down. The walls around the main road have collapsed. The national stadiums gates have collapsed," Kathmandu resident Anupa Shrestha said.

While there were no immediate reports of deaths, police confirmed that many buildings had collapsed.

"Our focus is on rescue in the core areas of Kathmandu where the population is concentrated," Dinesh Acharya, metropolitan police spokesman, said.

"Many houses and buildings have collapsed. ," he told AFP.

The quake tore through the middle of highways in the capital and also caused damage to the country s only international airport, in a potential blow to relief efforts.

The airport s general manager, Birendra Prasad Shrestha, said it would remain closed "for safety reasons" at least until later in the afternoon.

Kari Cuelenaere, an official at the Dutch embassy, said that the impact had swept the water out of a swimming pool at a Kathmandu hotel where Dutch national was being celebrated.

"It was horrible, all of a sudden all the water came up out of the pool and drenched everyone, the children started screaming," Cuelenaere told AFP.

"Some parts of the city fell down, there was dust rising... There were many (rescue) helicopters.

"I can still see many high-rise buildings standing, I think we were lucky," added Cuelenaere.

Aftershock tremors could be felt more than two hours after the initial quake.

Initially measured at 7.5 magnitude, the quake was later adjusted to 7.9, with a depth of 15 kilometres, the USGS said. It hit 68 kilometres east of the tourist town of Pokhara.

Tremors felt across region

Witnesses and media reports said the quake tremors lasted between 30 seconds and two minutes and were felt across the across the border in India, including in the capital New Delhi whereas minor shocks were also felt in Pakistan.

"We are in the process of finding more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home and in Nepal," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

The AFP building in Delhi was evacuated twice following the quake, a correspondent said.

Laxman Singh Rathore, director-general of the Indian Meteorological Department, told reporters that the impact had been felt across large swathes of northern India.

"The intensity was felt in entire north India. More intense shocks were felt in eastern UP (Uttar Pradesh) and Bihar, equally strong in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim," he said.

Rathore that a second tremor of a 6.6 magnitude had been recorded around 20 minutes later and centred around the same region.

"Since it is a big earthquake, there are aftershocks and people should stay cautious," he said.

"The damage potential of any earthquake above seven magnitude is high. The duration of the earthquake tremors was different at different places. It was around 50-55 seconds long in Delhi."

The earthquake was also felt across large areas of Bangladesh, triggering panic in the capital Dhaka as people rushed out onto the streets.

In the garment manufacturing hub of Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, at least 50 workers were injured after the quake set off stampede in a garment factory, according to private Jamuna television.

Climbers caught in earthquake on Everest: AFP reporter

Climbers on Mount Everest were caught in the deadly earthquake , an AFP reporter at the mountain said, with reports of a major avalanche hitting the world s highest peak.

AFP Nepal bureau chief Ammu Kannampilly said she was caught in the earthquake that ripped though large parts of the country leaving more than 100 people dead.

"We got caught in an earthquake on Everest. We are both ok...snowing here so no choppers coming," she said in an SMS on approach to base camp while on assignment.

Two experienced mountaineers reported that panic erupted at base camp which was full of climbing teams and had been "severely damaged", while one said the quake triggered a "huge avalanche".

"Running for life from my tent. Unhurt. Many many people up the mountain," tweeted Romanian climber Alex Gavan who had been preparing to climb up nearby Lhotse, the world s fourth highest mountain.

Another climber Daniel Mazur said his team was trapped at camp one higher up the mountain in the wake of the earthquake.

"A Massive earthquake just hit Everest. Basecamp has been severely damaged. Our team is caught in camp 1. Please pray for everyone," he also tweeted.

Everest was hit by an avalanche last year that killed 16 guides and triggered an unprecedented shut-down of the mountain.

Some 700 climbers are in Solukhumbhu district that includes Everest, with 300 thought to be at base camp itself, deputy superintendent of police Chandra Dev Rai said.

"We are trying to reach them to see if they are safe, but the phones are not working," he told AFP from Solukhumbhu town through which climbers pass en route to the mountain.

Landmark tower collapses

A landmark nine-storey tower collapsed in Kathmandu on Saturday after a massive earthquake hit the Nepalese capital, with several bodies seen at the site of the disaster, witnesses and television footage showed.

Around a dozen bodies were taken away from the ruins of the Dharhara tower in the centre of the capital which sustained massive damage when the 7.9 magnitude quake struck at lunchtime, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

A 1934 quake of magnitude 8.3 in the impoverished Himalayan nation killed over 8,500 people whereas a 6.9-magnitude quake hit northeastern India in 2011, rocking neighbouring Nepal and killing 110 people.

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