Aftershocks Convulse Nepal: Death Toll Jumps Over 2500
Powerful aftershocks continued throughout Nepal on Sunday, after a devastating 7.8 quake — the country's worst in 80 years — killed more than 2,500 people and injured about 5,900 and the death toll is expected to rise. The 6.7-magnitude tremor, centred 60km (40 miles) east of Nepal's capital Kathmandu, sent people running in panic for open ground in the city.
At least 18 were killed and 61 injured on Mount Everest, where the quake launched an avalanche. The nation's capital of Katmandu was particularly hard hit as more than 700 have died in the capital alone.
The scene after an avalanche triggered by a massive earthquake swept across Everest Base Camp in Nepal on April 25, 2015. (Photo: Azim Afif via AP)
People free a man from the rubble of a destroyed building. (Photo: Narendra Shrestha, European Pressphoto Agency)
Outside Nepal, at least 61 were killed in India and several deaths were reported in Tibet and Bangladesh.
A number of buildings collapsed in the center of the capital, the ancient Old Kathmandu, including centuries-old temples and towers. Among them was the Dharahara Tower, one of Katmandu's landmarks built by Nepal's royal rulers in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized historical monument. It was reduced to rubble and there were reports of people trapped underneath.
Volunteers work to remove debris at the historic Dharahara Tower in Katmandu, Nepal. (Photo: Niranjan Shrestha, AP)
A Buddha statue is surrounded by debris from a collapsed temple in the UNESCO world heritage site of Bhaktapur on April 26 in Bhaktapur, Nepal. (Photo: Omar Havana, Getty Images)
World leaders and global charities have offered emergency aid to Nepal, as the government grapples with the scale of the disaster. India is at the forefront of the relief effort, offering help including helicopters which have been deployed to remote areas. Humanitarian groups such as the Red Cross, Oxfam, CARE, and Save the Children are working to provide shelter, clean water, sanitation and emergency food supplies.
Indian soldiers arrive with supplies at the Tribhuwan International Airport on April 26. (Photo: Wally Santana, AP)
India's National Disaster Response Force personnel look for survivors in a building in Kathmandu on April 26. (Photo: Manish Swarup, AP)
People can also donate $10 to UNICEF by texting "Nepal" to 864233.
Before contributing to an aid group, research its legitimacy. Sites such as CharityNavigator.org evaluates charities' accountability and finances.
