What are the consequences of the Kathmandu earthquake and how Internet services help alleviate them
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On Saturday morning, April 25, Nepal was rocked by a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8. Thousands of buildings were destroyed in the capital and other cities of Nepal. More than 1.5 thousand dead are reported, the number of wounded is being clarified. The earthquake affected India and China. TJ collected basic information about the disaster.
Photo by Niranjan Shrestha, Associated Press
The first and most destructive shock of magnitude 7.8 was recorded 83 kilometers from Kathmandu, at 11:56 local time. The hypocenter of the tremors was at a depth of 10 kilometers. The second earthquake was recorded at 12:30, the magnitude of which was 6.7.
The tremors led to the destruction of schools, hospitals and ancient temples.
The red line marks the area most affected by the earthquake. Yellow and green lines show areas less affected by tremors. Blue - the least impact and damage.
The tremors also triggered an avalanche on Everest, which led to the death of at least 18 climbers from various countries.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) provides estimates of population losses and damage to Nepal's economy. A preliminary USGS report suggests that the number of casualties could reach up to 100 thousand people, and damage from destruction could range from $10 million to $10 billion.
More than 105 million people felt tremors from the earthquake's main impacts, as well as subsequent aftershocks. According to TASS, the death toll reached 1,500 people.
Among the dead was Google top manager Dan Fredinburg, who headed the data privacy department at Google and the Google Research Laboratory[x]. About this reported his sister via Instagram Fredinburg: he was injured in an avalanche on Everest, received head injuries and did not survive.
Google has once again launched a crowdsourcing project called "Person Finder" to help find people affected by the earthquake. There are two buttons on the page: “I’m looking for someone” and “I have information about someone.”
2015 Nepal earthquakes- a series of large earthquakes in Nepal, the first of which occurred on April 25, 2015 and became the most powerful since 1934 (the magnitude of the earthquake was 7.8 Mw, 8.1 Ms; IX on the Mercalli Scale); another - on May 12, 2015 (magnitude was 7.3 Mw), in addition, after the main shocks a number of aftershocks occurred.
- 8964 dead
- 21,952 wounded
More than 8 thousand people were killed, more than 14 thousand were injured, several tens of thousands of houses were destroyed and more than half a million buildings were damaged. The strongest shocks occurred on April 25 in the afternoon at 11:56 NST local time (7.8 with a hypocenter depth of 15 km), then half an hour later (6.6 Mw, hypocenter at a depth of 10 km), two strong aftershocks (6.6 Mw and 6.7 Mw) occurred on the morning of April 26. Weaker aftershocks were observed until the morning of April 28.
The tremors were felt in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, and destroyed many buildings there. Tremors were also observed on Chomolungma, triggering avalanches that killed at least 19 climbers.
On May 12, another strong earthquake occurred in Nepal, the magnitude of which is estimated at 7.3 Mw. The epicenter of the earthquake was 80 km northeast of Kathmandu. As a result, 117 people were killed in Nepal and another 1,926 were injured; 17 people died in India, another person died in China.
Earthquake April 25
The main earthquake began on April 25, 2015 at 11:56 Nepal time (6:11:26 UTC) 34 kilometers east-southeast of Lamjung (central Nepal) at a depth of about 15 kilometers and lasted about twenty seconds . The US Geological Survey initially determined the magnitude of this earthquake to be 7.5, but soon raised it to 7.8 Mw. According to the China Earthquake Network Center (English) Russian, the magnitude was 8.1 Mw. The India Meteorological Department recorded two powerful tremors - at 6:11 and 6:45 UTC; the magnitude of the first was 7.8 Mw, and its epicenter was 80 km northwest of Kathmandu, and the closest large city to this epicenter was Bharatpur (Nepalese: भरतपुर), located 53 km. According to the same Indian data, the magnitude of the second shock was less: 6.6 Mw, its epicenter was 65 km east of Kathmandu, and its source was at a depth of about 10 km. This was followed by more than 35 aftershocks with a magnitude of 4.5 or higher, including another 6.6 Mw.
According to the US Geological Survey, the cause of the earthquake was the sudden release of accumulated stress on a geological fault line where the Hindustan Plate is slowly sinking under the Eurasian Plate. The city of Kathmandu, standing on a block of the earth's crust measuring approximately 120 by 60 kilometers, moved three meters south in just 30 seconds as a result of the earthquake.
Destruction
According to preliminary data from April 27, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Nepal was aware of the complete destruction of 2 thousand residential buildings, and the partial destruction and damage of more than 4 thousand houses. The Sindhupalchok region northeast of Kathmandu has been virtually wiped off the face of the Earth, with 90% of its buildings destroyed.
The total damage is estimated by various sources at between 2 and 10 billion dollars.
In the city of Kathmandu, the 60-meter Dharahara Tower, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, Hanuman Dhoka Square, as well as some buildings in Durbar Square: the Narayan Temple (Trailokya Mohan Narayan Temple), the Maju Temple (Maju Dega) were destroyed. Monuments in the ancient city of Bhaktapur were also destroyed. Swayambhunath is partially destroyed. Sagarmatha Nature Park, Chitwan National Park and Lumbini settlement were badly damaged.
Monasteries of the Kagyu lineage:
- Manang Gompa, old monastery of Sherab Gyaltsen (Polish)Russian. - completely destroyed.
- Dhagpo Sheydrub Ling (Nala Gompa), Sherab Gyaltsen's new monastery in the vicinity of Bhaktapur - partially destroyed.
- Karma Raja Maha Vihara Monastery, monastery of Karmapa and Shamarpa on Swayambhu - partially destroyed.
- Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche's Monastery, Tsechu Rinpoche Monastery on Swayambhu - partially damaged.
- Tsechu Rinpoche Monastery and guesthouse at the foot of the Swayambhu Stupa, Kimdol district - partially destroyed.
- Sharminub Monastery, Shamara Rinchpoche's new monastery under construction - partially damaged.
UNESCO will form a team of specialists to assess the damage to Nepal's cultural heritage.
Victims
The victims of the earthquake in Nepal, according to data on May 12, 2015 (before the second earthquake (English) Russian), were 8,151 people, the local police reported this on their Facebook page, 17,868 were injured. According to data from the same source, the number of victims of earthquakes as of June 1, 2015 was 8,699 dead and 22,489 injured. Earlier, Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said that the number of victims of the earthquake could reach 10 thousand people. According to UN estimates, the earthquake affected 8 million people in the country, of which 2 million live in the 11 worst-affected regions.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of India, 72 people were killed in India (including: 50 people died in the state of Bihar, 14 people in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 5 people in West Bengal), 270 were injured, the number of victims may increase.
In the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, according to the Civil Administration of Tibet, as of 18:00 on April 27, 25 people were killed and 117 were injured.
In Bangladesh, four people died and more than 100 were injured. According to media reports, in Nepal's neighboring countries (India, Bangladesh, China), a total of about 100 people were killed.
Dead climbers
The earthquake caused avalanches on Chomolungma (Everest), as a result of which at least 19 climbers died (all at Base Camp) and several dozen were injured.
Reaction
India, China, the USA, Israel, Russia, and Australia sent rescuers and humanitarian aid to Nepal. Coordinates the actions of foreign UN rescuers.
Many countries, non-governmental organizations and individuals have provided financial and material assistance to Nepal.
A series of earthquakes in Nepal, according to preliminary data, led to numerous casualties.
Tremors with a magnitude of up to 7.9 were felt hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter and led to destruction, including in India.
(UPD. 23:50) The number of earthquake victims in Nepal has exceeded 1.5 thousand. This was reported by The Times of India with reference to the country's Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
Related materials
The famous Russian musician and showman Valdis Pelsh, who is now in the Himalayas, on the northern Tibetan slope, told Echo of Moscow that everything is fine with him and his comrades. They are not going to stop the filming process, despite the serious threat from the earthquake in Nepal. All the worst things, according to Pelsh, are now happening on the southern side of the Himalayas, there is heavy snow cover, avalanches and there may be casualties. Valdis Pelsh posted two photos on his Facebook page:
An earthquake found us in Rongbuk Monastery
The path we walked along 15 minutes ago.
The first reports of destruction and casualties came from the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu. Here, judging by the photographs and videos published by the media, many buildings are seriously damaged. In the center of the city, a 19th-century monument, the Dharahara observation tower, was destroyed. The epicenter of the most powerful shock was located a couple of hundred kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, in these areas the disaster razed ancient temples to the ground, roads were destroyed, landslides and avalanches are known, including on Everest, where many climbers disappeared. The country is experiencing interruptions in mobile communications and access to the Internet, all flights have been cancelled, and some areas have been cut off from power supply. All this makes it difficult to obtain information from the most affected settlements.
According to Nepal's Ambassador to New Delhi, Deep Kumar Upudhai, the government of the republic has officially asked the Indian authorities for help in eliminating the consequences of the earthquake. The Russian embassy in Nepal is finding out whether there are Russians among the victims of the powerful earthquake in Kathmandu.
This earthquake occurred in an area where such phenomena are quite rare, but extremely destructive, Pyotr Shebalin, chief researcher at the Institute of Earthquake Forecast Theory and Mathematical Geophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Echo of Moscow.
Eyewitnesses in Nepal report many destroyed buildings in the Kathmandu Valley, road failures, landslides and landslides. There is information about possible damage to the runway at Kathmandu Airport, and therefore its operations have been temporarily suspended. In the capital of Nepal and in Pokhra, telephone communications were disrupted in many areas, power supply was interrupted, and several local fires were recorded.
Russians may be among those affected by the earthquake in Nepal. Russian diplomats and tour operators have been unable to establish contact with several groups of climbers in the Himalayas. A powerful avalanche destroyed, in particular, the base camp on Everest. More than 20 Russians were at risk, this follows from the data cited by Irina Tyurina, a representative of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry, in an interview with Ekho Moskvy. The largest missing group of Russians was led by the President of the Russian Mountaineering Federation Andrei Volkov, these are experienced athletes. The organization reported that they have already made contact, no one was hurt, the group is deciding what to do next - stay in Nepal or return home. Meanwhile, data on Russians after a series of earthquakes is being collected at the Russian Embassy in Kathmandu. They say that so far there are no casualties among the 20-25 people who contacted the diplomats. A help center was organized at the diplomatic mission for compatriots,” press attaché Azret Botashov told our radio station.
As TASS was told at the Russian Embassy in Kathmandu, there was no information about injured Russians.
In connection with the earthquake in Nepal, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations opened a hotline. The department is accepting information from citizens about Russians who were or could be in the disaster zone.
At least 28 serious earthquakes of magnitude 4 and above occurred in the world over the past 24 hours. One of them is just 10 kilometers from Anapa. The shock did not cause any damage. But in Turkey, 40 people were injured in a similar incident. “360” asked seismologists and found out what such high seismic activity means.
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Series of earthquakes
As reported on the website of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, on April 24 and 25, moderate earthquakes of magnitude 4-5 occurred in northern Italy (4.5), in the state of Vanuatu (4.6), Trinidad and Tobago (4.1), in Anapa (4.2), Costa Rica (4.5), Argentina (4.1), the Boyen Islands in Japan (4.3), Afghanistan (4.9), Indonesia (4.5), the Philippines ( 4.3), in the Bering Sea (4.3), on the Solomon Islands (4.9), on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa (4.8), in Peru (4.6), off the east coast of Kamchatka (4.2) , in the south of Panama (4.7), on the Andaman Islands in India (4.5), in Chile (4.3) and off the coast of Ecuador (4.5).
Quite strong, magnitude above 5: in Myanmar (5.2) and Tongo (5), on the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen (5.3), off the island of Fiji (5.5), in the interisland Scotia Sea in the South Atlantic Ocean (5.3), on the island of Hokkaido (5.5), off the coast of Nicaragua (5.6), in eastern Turkey (5.2).
In Russia over the past two days there have been two tremors at once. The epicenter of one of the earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.2 was located 10 kilometers from Anapa at a depth of about 80 kilometers.
“On April 25 at 00:10, the ODS TsUKS of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Krasnodar Territory received information that a seismic event had occurred in Novorossiysk. Residents felt minor tremors in Novorossiysk and Anapa,” explained the press service of the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, adding that the incident did not cause casualties or destruction.
The day before, a shock of magnitude 4.2 occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 215 kilometers from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The earthquake was imperceptible, the Ministry of Emergency Situations explained. Therefore, no evacuation of residents was carried out, and no tsunami threat was declared.
Almost 40 people were injured due to an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday night in the Adiyaman province in southeastern Turkey, the local Anadolu agency reported, citing the country's emergency management department. The tremors occurred late at night, the source of the earthquake was located at a depth of only seven kilometers. After the main shock, seismologists recorded eight more impacts with a force of 1.4-2.7 points.
“There is material damage. A number of buildings were damaged. The authorities are working to determine the extent of the damage, eliminate the consequences, and provide assistance to the population,” explained Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
Half of the wounded were due to panic, said provincial governor Naji Kalkanji. “19 citizens were injured due to panic during the earthquake. Someone twisted their leg, someone fell, injuring their hands,” he said.
The world won't end
The head of the laboratory of continental seismicity and seismic hazard forecasting at the Institute of Earth Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexey Zavyalov, told “360” that earthquakes with magnitudes 4 and 5 are ordinary events. This is the normal life of the planet, and there can be no talk of any “end of the world”.
Such seismic activity is quite common. Every day we receive from our urgent reporting service of the geophysical service of the Russian Academy of Sciences about 15-20 messages about serious seismic activity around the world
Alexey Zavyalov.
The most famous seismically active zone on Earth is the Pacific Seismological Ring. There, according to Zavyalov, 80-90% of all earthquakes on the planet occur. The second most active are the Alpine-Himalayan and Mediterranean-Trans-Asian seismic belts. There is also the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and earthquakes also occur in the area where it passes. The next major earthquake will occur in one of these zones in the near future.
The head of the laboratory of experimental geophysics, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexey Nikolaev, confirmed to “360” that there is nothing extraordinary in such seismic activity and there is no need to worry.
An earthquake of magnitude 4 and 5 is nonsense. They can happen anywhere and happen more than once every day. Don't be afraid, the world won't end
Alexey Nikolaev.
What does seismic activity depend on?
Alexey Nikolaev explained that some scientific works describe the dependence of seismic activity on the time of year. According to the authors of such studies, this most often occurs in November–December and spring. But, the seismologist emphasized, these scientific works are almost never used in practice.
“When they say that seismic activity is increasing, they mean an increase in the number of small earthquakes. We are not talking about catastrophic incidents in which thousands of people die,” he added.
All processes occurring on Earth are cyclical in nature, Zavyalov recalled. And periodically the number of seismic activity events increases and then decreases. There are scientific works linking this phenomenon with periods of solar activity or with the positions of the Moon.
In different parts of the world, seismological activity may depend on certain factors, Nikolaev explained. For example, storm microseisms sometimes occur off the coast and there are fewer large earthquakes. But this dependence is very weak - rather, it only adds or decreases the probability.
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