SIGNS OF THE END PART 58 - LATEST EVENTS
APRIL 2015
Nepal Earthquake: Death, destruction and devastation caught on cam
A
powerful earthquake struck Nepal Saturday, killing hundreds of people
across a swath of four countries as the violently shaking earth
collapsed houses, leveled centuries-old temples and triggered
avalanches on Mt. Everest. It was the worst temblor to hit the poor
South Asian nation in over 80 years.
17 dead in Tibet after Nepal earthquake
Landslide in Tibet following earthquake
Nepal earthquake: 11 Queenslanders among missing
Jai Williams is among the Queenslanders missing in Nepal. Photo: Supplied
Eleven
Queenslanders are among the dozens of Australians listed as missing
by the Red Cross after Saturday's 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal.
Foreign
Minister Julie Bishop said 549 Australians were confirmed as
travelling in Nepal, and more than 200 had been accounted for.
"While
there are reports of extensive loss of life, at this point there are
no reports of Australian deaths," Ms Bishop said.
Two
of the Queenslanders missing are Brisbane friends Ben Flanders and
Jai Williams, who planned to climb to the Mt Everest base camp,
The
Red Cross had listed nine others who are unaccounted for with links
to Queensland by early Sunday afternoon......
Iconic Swayambhunath stupa rattled
This was the second time an earthquake has hit Swayambhunath complex in recent times. (Source: Express photo by Abhimanyu Chakravorty)
The
iconic Swayambhunath stupa in Kathmandu was relatively lucky in the
aftermath of the devastating Nepal earthquake. Only one person was
killed in the area though the earthquake shook the entire structure
and reduced old houses, small shops and smaller temples in and around
the complex to rubble within 15 seconds.
Pilgrims
and tourists were shocked at first and ran for the exit. As the
entire structure shook vigorously, people were thrown in different
directions, while others struggled to get back on their feet. Some
got stuck under the debris, and when they were pulled out by people
nearby, their limbs were broken and heads profusely bleeding.
Helpless
people sat down with their family, hands over their heads, and waited
for the quake to subside. A huge blanket of dust enveloped the entire
area and visibility was reduced to 10 metres making rescue ops more
difficult. Shrill cries could be heard from underneath the pile of
rubble.
Although
no one died on the spot, unconfirmed reports suggested that a local
labourer died while trying to exit a building. The police, however,
said no one was killed.
Arjun
Negi, 35, Indian tour operator, who was present at the spot during
the earthquake said: “I was at a restaurant rooftop with a friend
having tea and felt the floor beneath shake vigorously. I threw my
tea and headed for the staircase. But when I held the railings, the
stairs moved like I was swinging. And then I saw people jumping out
of windows. I am sure some of them broke their legs. I thought I was
going to die then.”
Even
after the first shock was felt, several aftershocks kept rocking the
place for another hour or so. There were still a lot of piled up
debris, but the police and people present at the spot said the ones
trapped under were immediately rescued, though there could be a
possibility of more people being trapped inside.
Jose
Leitao, 56, Brazilian national on his maiden visit to Nepal said he
was horrified at the way people were jumping out of the windows and
how the walls were collapsing everywhere, “I was sitting inside a
cafe and all of a sudden the entire building moved from left to
right, almost swaying in the wind. I ran towards the door and as I
was going down the stairs, I heard people yelling and crying.
Moment
I reached the first floor of the four-floored cafe, another shockwave
jolted us and I had hold the window bars for 20 horrifying seconds
before I was stable. I hope this never happens to anyone.”
This
was the second time an earthquake has hit Swayambhunath complex in
recent times. The first one occurred in 1990, but did not damage the
property. This one was more lethal as most of the smaller worship
areas crumbled under the pressure.
The
devastation could also be seen outside the temple premises where old
houses collapsed and cracks could be seen on buildings.
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