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In
this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a collapsed building is seen
in Nepal's capital Kathmandu Saturday, April 25, 2015. (Zhou Shengping/Xinhua
via AP)
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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.
Dozens of people with injuries were
being brought to the main hospital in central Kathmandu. Two fatalities have now being recorded including a 15 year old teenager.
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 U.S. 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.
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