Strong earthquake in Nepal: more than 150 people die. Berlusconi’s heirs cut alimony for 20 women

Simple houses in ruins, desperate people: at least 157 people died in a major earthquake in Nepal. Dozens of others were injured, a police spokesman in the capital Kathmandu told the German news agency on Sunday.

According to measurements from the National Earthquake Monitoring Center (NEMRC), the earthquake had a Strength of 6.4 and took place on Friday evening at 11:47 PM local time, when many people were asleep. The next day, footage from local television channel Kantipur TV showed people searching for their belongings in destroyed homes and pulling injured victims from the rubble.

Earthquakes hit the poorest parts of the country

In some places, rescue efforts began soon after the earthquake, but in others in the mountainous Himalayan country it took much longer, said administrative representative Harischandra Sharma of Jajarkot district, where the center of the quake was located.

Some roads were blocked by landslides and some helpers could only reach remote places on foot. The affected areas are among the poorest in South Asia. Footage from Kantipur TV also showed villagers helping themselves and those around them without protective equipment. They used shovels and headlights.

Balbir Bishwakarma, a resident of Jajarkot who lost his home in the earthquake, told the TV channel that his close relatives were lucky to have survived. But some of his friends died and he thinks they might have survived if they had been rescued sooner.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal visited Jajarkot by helicopter on Saturday and met injured people at a local hospital, media reported. Some injured people were also airlifted to hospitals – including in the capital Kathmandu – for emergency treatment as the affected areas lacked adequate infrastructure, it said.

910 houses destroyed

According to the Nepalese police, 910 houses were completely destroyed and 2,861 partially destroyed. “Many houses were built traditionally – made of stone and clay,” says Sete Giri, village representative in Jajarkot. “That could be the cause of the damage.” According to the village representative, many people who otherwise regularly worked as migrant workers in the wealthier neighboring country of India are currently in their home country for important Hindu holidays such as the upcoming Diwali festival of lights. The earthquake was also felt in northern India.

Many residents have spent nights outdoors since the earthquake, many without tents, said Purna Bahadur Khatri, a resident of Jajarkot. “We have heard that relief supplies have arrived from the government and the Red Cross,” he said. “They will probably be distributed after a mass cremation.” The Nepalese government decided on Saturday to pay 200,000 rupees (about 1,411 euros) each to families who have lost a member.

Season worsens the crisis

Deutsche Welthungerhilfe announced on Sunday that it will send the first relief supplies together with European partners. In the Jajarkot district, mattresses, tarpaulins and water filters are to be distributed to the people. “The affected regions are among the poorest areas in Nepal. Many people in the villages are poorly fed and the food situation will worsen as a result of the earthquake. It is already very cold there in the mountains and people will urgently need more help to get through the winter,” Shakeb Nabi, Welthungerhilfe’s country director in Nepal, said in the statement.

The quake caused the most deaths in Nepal since the massive earthquake in spring 2015, which killed about 9,000 people and left millions more homeless. At that moment, the area around the capital Kathmandu was shocked. Numerous buildings collapsed, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Himalayan region, in which Nepal is located, is extremely active geologically. There the Indian continental plate is sliding beneath the Eurasian plate. This leads to earthquakes, there have been several in recent weeks. (sda/dpa)