* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Nepal Quake

Blobrana · L

Strong earthquake rocks Nepal, damages Kathmandu

A powerful earthquake has rocked Nepal, wrecking buildings, injuring dozens of people and causing an unknown number of deaths, eyewitnesses say.
The quake measured 7.9 and struck an area between the capital Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara
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Blobrana · L

Most of Kathmandu's 50 hospitals are poorly built and would collapse if there were a major earthquake, experts warn. They also note that health institutions lack emergency response plans and are generally ill-prepared.
Kathmandu valley lies in a high risk earthquake zone; poorly constructed buildings and lack of preparedness could significantly increase the casualty rate if there were another big earthquake.

The Nepal-Bihar Earthquake of 1934, measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale, left thousands dead and over 200,000 buildings severely damaged or destroyed.
According to the Nepal Red Cross Society's Earthquake Contingency Plan 2008 [See PDF], an earthquake measuring 7-8 on the Richter scale could kill up to 50,000 people in the city, injure 100,000 and destroy 60 percent of buildings, leaving 900,000 homeless.

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