Major earthquake in Nepal

[classical_hero]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32467986

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Nepal's deadliest earthquake for more than 80 years, police say.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck an area of central Nepal between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara.

There were also victims in India, Bangladesh, Tibet and on Mount Everest, where avalanches were triggered.

The government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas, and help has been offered by countries around the world.

Little information has emerged from the epicentre, where extensive damage has been reported, and there are fears the death toll could rise yet further.

This is the most powerful earthquake sine July last year, so thing are quite bad and many old buildings have collapsed as a result.

 

[plarq]

That's so sad. Is the political infrastructure also shaken? I remember Nepal politics is pretty fragile.

 

[classical_hero]

I wouldn't know about that.

 

[Cutlass]

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed nations in the world. This is terrible for them. And they are weak on the resources to deal with it.

 

[Cutlass]

 

[Borachio]

Not a big help, I know, for the Nepalese earthquake victims. Just more evidence that the Earth is probably more than 6,000 years old.

 

[warpus]

Damn, looks like Everest basecamp was just.. destroyed. I'm supposed to be heading there in a year and a half - and bringing inexperienced travellers there.

I wouldn't be surprised if they all cancelled on me now.

Here's hoping that international organizations are able to help out the locals and any tourists during this .. crazy time.

 

[thecrazyscot]

This is heartbreaking

 

[Samson]

There is a somewhat scary video of the Everest avalanche at the beeb

Very sad, I hope the somewhat basic requirements of the population can be met in the short term at least. It sounds like the shortage of water, tents and sanitation could kill more people than the earthquake.

 

[thecrazyscot]

That's what usually happens in major disasters. The infrastructure disruption generally has a greater death toll than the actual event.

 

[Tigranes]

Half of our department' s grad students and few faculties are Nepalese, they are seeing Uni's president as we speak now, thanks God no family members got hurt from our Nepalese community!

 

[Zkribbler]

Saturday's slip took place over an area about 1,000 to 2,000 square miles over a zone spanning the cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara in one direction, and almost the entire Himalaya mountain width in the other. A part of India slid about one to 10 feet northwards and underneath Nepal in a matter of seconds.

10 feet?! As in 3 meters!

 

[Cutlass]

Any earthquake in a populate area is a terrible thing. They are just so unbelievably powerful and destructive.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

10 feet?! As in 3 meters!

TEN FEET!!!!

Where is that quote from?

 

[Zkribbler]

TEN FEET!!!!

Where is that quote from?

I saw it on CNN.

The same number is given by CBS:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/city-of-kathmandu-shifted-ten-feet-by-earthquake/

 

[Timsup2nothin]

As a Californian, a ten foot slip is mind boggling.

However, as I was researching I found numerous references saying that the ongoing collision between the Indian subcontinent and Asia is occurring at two inches per year, meaning that in the eighty years since the last time Katmandu got leveled over thirteen feet of stress have accumulated. Some has been released by smaller quakes along the way, no doubt, but it makes the ten foot slip plausible, though still mind boggling.