A powerful aftershock shook Nepal on Sunday, April 26, 2015, making buildings sway and sending panicked Kathmandu residents running into the streets a day after a massive earthquake left more than 2,200 people dead.
The magnitude 6.7 aftershock pummelled the capital city early Sunday afternoon. It came as aeroplanes loaded with supplies, doctors and relief workers from neighbouring countries began arriving in the Himalayan nation.
“The aftershocks keep coming … so people don’t know what to expect,” said Sanjay Karki, Nepal country head for global aid agency Mercy Corps. “All the open spaces in Kathmandu are packed with people who are camping outdoors. When the aftershocks come you cannot imagine the fear. You can hear women and children crying.”
With people rightly fearing more quakes, tens of thousands of Nepalese spent Saturday night outdoors under chilly skies, or in cars and public buses. They were jolted awake by strong aftershocks early Sunday.
“There were at least three big quakes at night and early morning. How can we feel safe? This is never-ending and everyone is scared and worried,” said Kathmandu resident Sundar Sah. “I hardly got much sleep. I was waking up every few hours and glad that I was alive.”
As day broke, rescuers aided by international teams set out to dig through rubble of buildings – concrete slabs, bricks, iron beams, wood – to look for survivors.
In the Kalanki neighborhood of Kathmandu, police rescuers finally extricated a man lying underneath a dead person, both of them buried beneath a pile of concrete slabs and iron beams. Before his rescue, his family members stood nearby, crying and praying. Police said the man’s legs and hips were totally crushed.
Nepal has also lost some of its historical sites to the quake. Among the destroyed buildings in Kathmandu was the nine-story Dharahara Tower, a Kathmandu landmark built by Nepal’s royal rulers as a watchtower in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized historical monument. It was reduced to rubble and there were reports of people trapped underneath.
The Kathmandu Valley is listed as a World Heritage site. The Buddhist stupas, public squares and Hindu temples are some of the most well-known sites in Kathmandu, and now some of the most deeply mourned.
The head of the U.N. cultural agency, Irina Bokova, said in a statement that UNESCO was ready to help Nepal rebuild from “extensive damage, including to historic monuments and buildings of the Kathmandu Valley.”
Nepali journalist and author Shiwani Neupane tweeted: “The sadness is sinking in. We have lost our temples, our history, the places we grew up.”
Rescue efforts are continuing as more countries join the operation.
