More than 100 dead in magnitude-7.9 quake in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal — A strong magnitude-7.9 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.

More than 100 people were believed to have been killed, and hundreds more injured, including at least one Israeli traveler.

The father of the Israeli man injured told Ynet that he could not reach his son because of poor reception but knew that he was at Chabad House in Kathmandu with deep cuts on his legs and was awaiting transfer to a hospital.

A person who answered the phone at the Chabad House told Ynet that there was “total chaos” in the house as Israelis congregated there, some with minor injuries. According to the report, they were being treated by other Israelis who trained as IDF medics during their military service.

Nepal is a popular travel destination for Israelis and the Israeli Foreign Ministry said it was in touch with its embassy in Kathmandu to collect information on Israeli casualties. The embassy said it opened a situation room to help Israelis in Nepal through the crisis.

Kathmandu’s Patan Durbar Square before and after the #NepalEarthquake pic.twitter.com/KoYNXAjAOr

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) April 25, 2015

CNN reported that Mount Everest had suffered several avalanches as a result of the quake.

Several buildings collapsed in the center of the capital, the ancient Old Kathmandu, including centuries-old temples and towers, said resident Prachanda Sual.

He 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.

Old Kathmandu city is a warren of tightly packed, narrow lanes with poorly constructed homes piled on top of each other.

Nepal’s Information Minister Minendra Rijal told India’s 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 epicenter was 80 kilometers (49 mile) northwest of Kathmandu, he said. The Kathmandu Valley is densely populated with nearly 2.5 million, with the quality of buildings often poor.

An Associated Press reporter in Kathmandu said a wall in his compound collapsed and there was damage to nearby buildings.

The US 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).

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.

In October, two Israeli travelers were killed in Nepal when a bus plunged off a mountainside, in an accident that claimed 14 lives. That tragic incident came two weeks after four Israeli climbers were killed when a blizzard and avalanches swept the mountains of the Annapurna region in the country’s north. The avalanches resulted in 43 dead — 21 foreigners and 22 Nepalese guides, porters and villagers — and led to the largest-ever rescue operation in the country’s history.

Tremors felt across region

Witnesses and media reports said Saturday’s 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.

“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 office 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 areas 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 centered 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.

A 6.9-magnitude quake hit northeastern India in 2011, rocking neighboring Nepal and killing 110 people.