2015 Nepal earthquake

2015 Nepal earthquake

catastrophic riskDate25April2015Origin time11:56:26NSTMagnitude7.8Mw or 8.1MsDepth15.0 km (9.3 mi)TypeThrustAreas affectedNepalIndiaChinaBangladeshBhutanPakistanMax. intensityIX (Violent)Aftershocks6.7Mwon 25 April at 12:306.7Mwon 26 April at 12:54Casualties8,126 dead (officially)18,946 injured (officially)- The2015 Nepal earthquake(also known as theGorkha earthquake) .- which killed more than 8,000 people and injured more than 16,000 .- occurred at11:56 NSTon 25 April .- with amoment magnitude(Mw) of 7.8Mwor 8.1Ms .- a maximumMercalli Intensityof IX (Violent) - Its epicenter was the village of Barpak, Gorkha district .- and its hypocenter was at a depth of approximately 15 km (9.3 mi)3- It was the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934 NepalBihar earthquake- Some casualties were also reported in the adjoining areas of India, China, and Bangladesh .- The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing at least 19 .making it the deadliest day on the mountain in history . - It triggered another huge avalanche in Langtang valley, where 250 were reported missing .- Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless with entire villages flattened across many districts of the country- Centuries-old buildings were destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including some at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Patan Durbar Square and the Bhaktapur Durbar Square .- Geophysicists and other experts had warned for decades that Nepal was vulnerable to a deadly earthquake, particularly because of its geology, urbanization, and architecture

thousands of people were made homeless

Continued aftershocks occurred throughout Nepal within 1520 minute intervals, with one shock reaching a magnitude of 6.7 on 26 April at 12:54:08 NST. The country also had a continued risk of landslidesThe largest in the world since the earthquake measuring 8.2 degrees in Chile in April 2014.earthquakeThe earthquake was initially reported as 7.5 Mw by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) before it was quickly upgraded to 7.9 Mw and finally downgraded to 7.8 MwTheIndia Meteorological Department(IMD) said two powerful quakes were registered in Nepal at 06:11 UTC and 06:45 UTCThe first quake measured 7.9 Mwand its epicenter was identified at a distance of 80km to the northwest ofKathmandu, the capital of Nepal.The second earthquake was somewhat less powerful at 6.6 Mw. It occurred 65 km (40 mi) east of Kathmandu and its seismic focus lay at a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi) below the earth's surfaceOver thirty-five aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 Mw or greater occurred in the day following the initial earthquake, including the one of magnitude 6.6 MwMap of the earthquake and some of its aftershocks

intensityAccording to "Did You Feel It?" (DYFI?) responses on the USGS website, the intensity in Kathmandu was IX or 9 (Violent).Tremors were felt in the neighboring Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, in the Indian capital region around New Delhi and as far south as Karnataka. Many buildings were brought down in Bihar. Minor cracks in the walls of houses were reported in Odisha. Minor quakes were registered as far as Kochi in the southern state of Kerala. The intensity in Patna was V (Moderate). The intensity was IV (Light) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The earthquake was also experienced across southwestern China, ranging from the Tibet Autonomous Region to Chengdu, which is 1,900 km (1,200 mi) away from the epicenter . Tremors were felt in Pakistan and Bhutan .Aftershocks

A major aftershock of magnitude 6.7 Mw occurred on 26 April 2015 in the same region at 12:55 NST (07:09 UTC), with an epicenter located about 17 km (11 mi) south of Kodari, Nepal. The aftershock caused fresh avalanches on Mount Everest and was felt in many places in northern India including Kolkata, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and Assam.[42] The aftershock caused a landslide on the Koshi Highway which blocked the section of the road between Bhedetar and Mulghat1934 NepalBihar earthquake

2015 Nepal_Gorkha earthquake

Date15 January 1934Origin time8:43:25 UTCMagnitude8.0MwDepth15km (9.3mi)

Areas affectedIndia,Nepal

Date25April2015Origin time11:56:26NSTMagnitude7.8Mwor 8.1MsDepth15.0 km (9.3 mi)Areas affectedNepal India China Bangladesh Bhutan PakistanCasualties10,600

Max. intensityXI (Extreme)

Max. intensityIX (Violent)13Casualties by countryCountryDeathsInjuriesNepal> 8,019> 17,803India78560China25383Bangladesh4200Total> 8,126> 18,946

- Nepal : The earthquake killed more than 8000 in Nepal and injured more than twice as many .- India : A total of 78 deaths were reported in India - 58 in Bihar, 16 in Uttar Pradesh, 3 in West Bengal and 1 in Rajasthan- China : 25 dead and 4 missing, all fromTibet- Bangladesh : 4 dead

CountryDeathsUnited States4United Kingdom1Spain1Russia2New Zealand1Malaysia1Japan1Italy4Israel1India40Hong Kong1Germany4France10Estonia1China4Canada2Australia1Total78

Foreign casualties in Nepal

- Thousands of houses were destroyed across many districts of the country, with entire villages flattened, especially those near the epicenter . - The Tribhuvan International Airport serving Kathmandu was closed immediately after the quake, but was re-opened later in the day for relief operations and, later, for some commercial flights. It subsequently shut down operations sporadically due to aftershocks, and on 3 May was closed temporarily to the largest planes for fear of runway damage . - Many workers were not at their posts, either from becoming earthquake casualties or because they were dealing with its after effects.[88] Flights resumed from Pokhara, to the west of the epicentre, on 27 April .- Several of the churches in the Kathmandu valley were destroyed. As Saturday is the principal day of Christian worship in Nepal, 500 people are reported to have died in the collapses .Damage

Damage

- Several pagodas on Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, collapsed, as did the Dharahara tower, built in 1832; the collapse of the latter structure killed at least 180 people, Manakamana Temple in Gorkha was also destroyed.- The northern side of Janaki Mandir in Janakpur was reported to have been damaged. Several temples, including Kasthamandap, Panchtale temple, the top levels of the nine-storey Basantapur Durbar, the Dasa Avtar temple and two dewals located behind the Shiva Parvati temple were demolished by the quake. Some other monuments, including the Kumari Temple and the Taleju Bhawani Temple partially collapsed .- The top of the Jaya Bageshwari Temple in Gaushala and some parts of the Pashupatinath Temple, Swyambhunath, Boudhanath Stupa, Ratna Mandir, inside Rani Pokhari, and Durbar High School have been destroyed17Road damage in Nepal

The Dharaharatower

19Rescue and reliefAbout 90 percent of soldiers from the Nepalese Army were sent to the stricken areas in the aftermath of the earthquake under Operation Sankat Mochan, with volunteers mobilized from other parts of the country. Rainfall and aftershocks were factors complicating the rescue efforts, with potential secondary effects like additional landslides and further building collapses being concerns. Impassable roads and damaged communications infrastructure posed substantial challenges to rescue efforts. Survivors were found up to a week after the earthquakeNepal Army and Turkish disaster relief aid workers working together

International aid

UNICEF appealed for donations, as close to 1.7 million children had been driven out into the open, and were in desperate need of drinking water, psychological counsel, temporary shelters, sanitation and protection from disease outbreak. It distributed water, tents, hygiene kits, water purification tablets and buckets. To help the needy also joined Oxfam International, which provides needy clean water and food. Oxfam International organizes a fundraiser for survivors

United Nations Children's Fund