UTC time | 2015-04-25 06:11:25 |
---|---|
ISC event | 607208674 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | 25 April 2015 |
Local time | 11:56:25 NST [1] |
Duration | 50 seconds |
Magnitude | 7.8 Mw [1] 8.1 Ms |
Depth | 8.2 km (5.1 mi) [1] |
Epicenter | 28°13′48″N84°43′52″E / 28.230°N 84.731°E [1] |
Fault | Main Himalayan Thrust |
Type | Thrust [1] |
Areas affected | |
Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme) [2] [3] |
Peak acceleration | 0.25 g [4] |
Peak velocity | 108 cm/s [4] |
Landslides | 21 |
Foreshocks | 7 |
Aftershocks | 7.3 Mw on 12 May at 12:50 [5] 6.7 Mw on 26 April at 12:54 [6] 459 aftershocks of 4 Mw and above as of 24 May 2016 [7] |
Casualties | 8,962 dead in Nepal, [8] [9] 21,952 injured, [8] 3.5 million homeless [8] |
Citations | 69 |
The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) [7] [10] killed 8,962 people and injured 21,952 across the Nepal, India, China and Bangladesh. It occurred at on Saturday 25 April 2015, with a magnitude of 7.8Mw [1] or 8.1Ms [11] and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of X (Extreme). Its epicenter was east of Gorkha District at Barpak, Gorkha, roughly 85 km (53 mi) northwest of central Kathmandu, and its hypocenter was at a depth of approximately 8.2 km (5.1 mi). [1] It was the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934 Nepal–India earthquake. [12] [13] [14] The ground motion recorded in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, was of low frequency, which, along with its occurrence at an hour when many people in rural areas were working outdoors, decreased the loss of human lives. [15]
The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing 22 people, [16] the deadliest incident on the mountain on record. [17] The earthquake triggered another huge avalanche in the Langtang valley, where 250 people were reported missing. [18]
Hundreds of thousands of Nepalese were made homeless with entire villages flattened [18] [19] [20] across many districts of the country. Centuries-old buildings were destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including some at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Patan Durbar Square, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Changu Narayan Temple, the Boudhanath stupa, and the Swayambhunath stupa. Geophysicists and other experts had warned for decades that Nepal was vulnerable to a deadly earthquake, particularly because of its geology, urbanization, and architecture. [21] [22] Dharahara, also called Bhimsen Tower, a nine-storey 61.88-metre (203.0 ft) tall tower, was destroyed. It was a part of the architecture of Kathmandu recognized by UNESCO.
Continued aftershocks occurred throughout Nepal at intervals of 15–20 minutes, with one shock reaching a magnitude of 6.7 on 26 April at NST. [6] The country also had a continued risk of landslides. [23]
A major aftershock occurred on 12 May 2015 at with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.3. [24] The epicenter was near the Chinese border between the capital of Kathmandu and Mount Everest. [25] More than 200 people were killed and over 2,500 were injured by this aftershock, and many were left homeless. [26]
The earthquake occurred on 25 April 2015 at NST (06:11:25 UTC) at a depth of approximately 8.2 km (5.1 mi) (which is considered shallow and therefore more damaging than quakes that originate deeper in the ground), [27] with its epicentre approximately 34 km (21 mi) southeast of Lamjung, Nepal, lasting approximately 50 seconds. [28] The earthquake was initially reported as 7.5 Mw by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) before it was quickly upgraded to 7.8 Mw . The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) reported the earthquake's magnitude to be 8.1 Ms . The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said two powerful quakes were registered in Nepal at 06:11 UTC and 06:45 UTC. The first quake measured 7.8 Mw and its epicenter was identified at a distance of 80 km to the northwest of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Bharatpur was the nearest major city to the main earthquake, 53 km (33 mi) as the crow flies from the epicenter. The second earthquake was somewhat less powerful at 6.6 Mw . It occurred 65 km (40 mi) east of Kathmandu and its seismic focus lay at a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi) below the earth's surface. Over 38 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 Mw or greater occurred in the day following the initial earthquake, including one of 6.8 Mw . [29]
According to the USGS, the earthquake was caused by a sudden thrust, a short sharp thrust that caught many unsuspected and dies to this thrust only, along the major fault line where the Indian plate, carrying India, is slowly diving underneath the Eurasian plate, carrying much of Europe and Asia. [27] Kathmandu, situated on a block of crust approximately 120 km (74 miles) wide and 60 km (37 miles) long, rapidly shifted 3 m (10 ft) to the south in a matter of just 30 seconds. [30]
The risk of a large earthquake was well known beforehand. In 2013, in an interview with seismologist Vinod Kumar Gaur, The Hindu quoted him as saying, "Calculations show that there is sufficient accumulated energy [in the Main Frontal Thrust], now to produce an 8-magnitude earthquake. I cannot say when. It may not happen tomorrow, but it could possibly happen sometime this century, or wait longer to produce a much larger one." [31] According to Brian Tucker, founder of a nonprofit organization devoted to reducing casualties from natural disasters, some government officials had expressed confidence that such an earthquake would not occur again. Tucker recounted a conversation he had with a government official in the 1990s who said, "We don't have to worry about earthquakes anymore, because we already had an earthquake." The previous earthquake to which he referred occurred in 1934. [32] In fact, the 600-km-long Central Himalayan Gap hadn't ruptured since 1505.
Nepal lies towards the southern limit of the diffuse collisional boundary where the Indian plate underthrusts the Eurasian plate, [33] [34] occupying the central sector of the Himalayan arc, nearly one-third of the 2,400 km (1,500 mi) long Himalayas. Geologically, the Nepal Himalayas are subdivided into five tectonic zones from north to south, east to west, and almost parallel to sub-parallel. [35] These five distinct morpho-geotectonic zones are: (1) Terai Plain; (2) Sub Himalaya (Shivalik Range); (3) Lesser Himalaya (Mahabharat Range and mid valleys); (4) Higher Himalaya; and (5) Inner Himalaya (Tibetan Tethys). [36] Each of these zones is clearly identified by its morphological, geological, and tectonic features. [36]
The convergence rate between the plates in central Nepal is about 45 mm (1.8 in) per year. The location, magnitude, and focal mechanism of the earthquake suggest that it was caused by a slip along the Main Frontal Thrust. [1] [37]
The earthquake's effects were amplified in Kathmandu as it sits on the Kathmandu Basin, which contains up to 600 m (2,000 ft) of sedimentary rocks, representing the infilling of a lake. [38]
Based on a study published in 2014, of the Main Frontal Thrust, on average a great earthquake occurs every 750 ± 140 and 870 ± 350 years in the east Nepal region. [39] A study from 2015 found a 700-year delay between earthquakes in the region. The study also suggests that because of tectonic stress buildup, the 1934 earthquake and the 2015 quake are connected, following a historic earthquake pattern. [40] A 2016 study on historical great (M ≥ 8) earthquake pairs and cycles found that associated great earthquakes are likely to occur in the West China region through the 2020s. [41]
According to the USGS website, the maximum intensity was VIII (Severe), however certain reports state an intensity of X (Extreme) or higher. [1] In most of Kathmandu the intensity was VIII-IX, as evidenced by the numerous undamaged water towers installed on top of undamaged multi story buildings. Tremors were felt in the neighboring Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, in the National Capital Region around New Delhi and as far south as Karnataka. [42] Damage was extensive in northern Bihar and minor damage was also reported from parts of Odisha. [42] Shaking was felt in high-rise buildings as far as Kochi in the southern state of Kerala. [42] The intensity in Patna was V (Moderate). [43] [ failed verification ] The intensity was IV (Light) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. [1] The earthquake was also experienced across southwest China, ranging from the Tibet Autonomous Region to Chengdu, which is 1,900 km (1,200 mi) away from the epicenter. [44] Tremors were felt in Pakistan [45] and Bhutan. [1] [42]
A series of aftershocks began immediately after the mainshock, at intervals of 15–30 minutes, with one aftershock reaching 6.6Mw within 34 minutes of the initial quake. A major aftershock of magnitude 6.9 Mw occurred on 26 April 2015 in the same region at 12:54 NST (07:08 UTC), with an epicenter located about 17 km (11 mi) south of Kodari, Nepal. [45] [46] The aftershock caused fresh avalanches on Mount Everest and was felt in many places in northern India including Kolkata, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, and Assam. [47] The aftershock caused a landslide on the Koshi Highway, which blocked the section of the road between Bhedetar and Mulghat. [48]
A model of GeoGateway, based on a United States Geological Survey mechanism of a near-horizontal fault as well as the location of aftershocks showed that the fault had an 11° dip towards the north, striking at 295°, was 50 km (31 mi) wide, 150 km (93 mi) long, and had a dip slip of 3 m (9.8 ft). [49] The USGS says the aftershock registered at a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 mi). [47]
As of 24 May 2016, 459 aftershocks had occurred with different epicenters and magnitudes equal to or above 4 Mw (out of which 51 aftershocks are equal to or above 5 Mw and 5 aftershocks above 6 Mw) and more than 20,000 aftershocks less than 4 Mw. [7]
A second major earthquake occurred on 12 May 2015 at 12:50 NST with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.3Mw 18 km (11 mi) southeast of Kodari. The epicenter was near the Chinese border between the capital city of Kathmandu and Mount Everest. It struck at a depth of 18.5 km (11.5 miles). This earthquake occurred along the same fault as the original magnitude 7.8 earthquake of 25 April but further to the east. As such, it is considered an aftershock of the 25 April quake. [50] Tremors were also felt in northern parts of India including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and other North-Indian States. [51] [52] [53] [54] At least 153 people died in Nepal as a result of the aftershock and about 2,500 were injured. 62 others died in India, two in Bangladesh, and one in China. [26] [55]
Disastrous events in very poor and politically paralyzed nations such as Nepal often become a long drawn out chain of events, in that one disaster feeds into another for years or even decades on end. The aftereffects of the earthquake had subsequent effects on a myriad of things: human trafficking, labour cost and availability, rental and property cost burdens, urbanization, private and public debt burdens, mental health, politics, tourism, disease, and damage to the healthcare system. [56] A survey some 30 months later found only 12% of the reconstruction money had been distributed, and those without land were locked out of financial support, exacerbating the social divide and feeding marginalization.
Some disasters that came with the monsoon season were suspected to be related to the earthquake. There was a landslip on 11 June, killing 53 people. [57] Meanwhile, a glacial lake had burst in the particularly hard-hit Solukhumbhu district. [58] Whether or not the quake contributed to such events is often unknown and unresearched, but it is certainly possible.
Country | Deaths | Injuries | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Nepal | 8,857 | 22,304 | [8] [59] |
India | 78 | 560 | [60] |
China | 25 | 383 | [61] |
Bangladesh | 4 | 200 | [62] |
Total | 8,964 | 23,447 |
Nationality | Deaths | Ref. |
---|---|---|
India | 78 | [63] |
France | 10 | [64] |
Spain | 7 | [65] |
United States | 7 | [66] [67] |
Germany | 5 | [68] [69] |
China | 4 | [70] |
Italy | 4 | [71] |
Canada | 2 | [72] |
Russia | 2 | [73] |
(dual) Australia India | 1 | [74] [75] |
Estonia | 1 | [76] |
Hong Kong | 1 | [77] |
Israel | 1 | [78] |
Japan | 1 | [79] |
Malaysia | 1 | [80] |
New Zealand | 1 | [81] |
United Kingdom | 1 | [82] |
Total | 127 |
The earthquake killed at least 8,857 people in Nepal [8] [83] [84] and injured nearly three times as many. The rural death toll may have been minimized by the fact that most villagers were outdoors working when the quake hit. [85] As of 15 May, 6,271 people, including 1,700 from the 12 May aftershock, were still receiving treatment for their injuries. [55] Nearly 3.5 million people were left homeless, causing around 2.6 million internal displacements. [59] [86]
The example of this earthquake shows that loss calculations for hypothetical likely future earthquakes can be reasonably reliable. In 2005, the expected numbers of fatalities due to a hypothetical scenario earthquake near Kathmandu for M8.1 was published. [87] The fatalities at that time were estimated between 21,000 and 42,000. The M7.8 earthquake of 25 April 2015 killed about 8,800 people because it occurred on a Saturday and so many buildings that collapsed, such as schools and municipal buildings, were empty, reducing the death toll. In addition, the epicentre of the earthquake was in a rural setting, so the worst hit districts had low population densities and most of the population was outside when the earthquake hit. [88] Had the earthquake occurred at night or during the working week, when many more people were inside vulnerable buildings, the death toll would have likely been much closer to the modelled estimate.
After the rupture area of the Kathmandu 2015 earthquake had been derived [89] and the intensities of shaking had been mapped, [90] a line source model for losses could be constructed with energy being radiated along the entire rupture. [91] The fatalities estimated in this way by QLARM agree with those reported in the end. The figure shows reports of fatalities as a function of time. News reports significantly underestimated the actual numbers of fatalities for several days.
The Himalayan Times reported that as many as 20,000 foreign nationals may have been visiting Nepal at the time of the earthquake, although reports of foreign deaths were relatively low.[ citation needed ]
A total of 78 deaths were reported in India – including 58 in Bihar, 16 in Uttar Pradesh, 3 in West Bengal and 1 in Rajasthan. [60]
Twenty-seven people were confirmed dead, 383 were injured and 4 were missing, all from the Tibet Autonomous Region. [61] The quake destroyed 2,500 houses and damaged 24,700 others across 19 counties in Tibet, affecting nearly 300,000 people, among whom 47,500 were displaced, while A total of 82 temples were also damaged. [61] The counties of Gyirong, Nyalam and Tingri in Xigazê were worst hit, where nearly 80 percent of the houses in the three counties collapsed. [61]
Four people were killed and 18 districts were affected by the earthquake in Bangladesh. [62] A six-story building partially collapsed and two garment factories tilted in Dhaka. [62] A 22-year-old man died when trying to flee the Dhaka Medical College in a panic. [62] In Tangail, a woman died trying to escape a building. [62] Another woman was crushed to death by a collapsed wall while a teacher died of a heart attack during the earthquake. [62]
This earthquake caused avalanches on Mount Everest. At least 19 died, [92] with at least 120 others injured or missing. [92]
In the Langtang valley located in Langtang National Park, 329 people were reported missing after an avalanche hit the village of Ghodatabela [93] [94] and the village of Langtang. The avalanche was estimated to have been two to three kilometres wide. Ghodatabela was an area popular on the Langtang trekking route. [95] The village of Langtang was destroyed by the avalanche. Smaller settlements on the outskirts of Langtang were buried during the earthquake, such as Chyamki, Thangsyap, and Mundu. Twelve locals and two foreigners were believed to have survived. Smaller landslides occurred in the Trishuli River Valley with reports of significant damage at Mailung, Simle, and Archale. [96] [97] On 4 May it was announced that 52 bodies had been found in the Langtang area, of which seven were of foreigners. [98]
According to geological models, the frequency and intensity of future landslides in the Langtang Valley is due to increase in the coming decades. [99] This is attributable directly to the effect of the earthquake, which caused widespread fracturing in the grounds of the Langtang area. [100]
Thousands of houses were destroyed across many districts of the country, with entire villages flattened, especially those near the epicenter. [18] [19] [20]
The Tribhuvan International Airport serving Kathmandu was closed immediately after the earthquake, but was re-opened later in the day for relief operations and, later, for some commercial flights. [101] It subsequently shut down operations sporadically due to aftershocks, [102] and on 3 May was closed temporarily to the largest planes for fear of runway damage. [103] During strong aftershocks, the airport opened all boarding-lounge exit doors onto the tarmac, allowing people who were waiting post security and immigration to flee to the open spaces of the runway tarmac. Many remained outside as planes were delayed and the airport swelled to capacity. The airport facilities suffered damage and there was no running water or operating toilets in the airport lounges. Few airport workers were at their posts; most were killed in the earthquake or had to deal with its aftereffects. [104]
Flights resumed from Pokhara, to the west of the epicentre, on 27 April. [105]
Several of the churches in the Kathmandu valley were destroyed. As Saturday is the principal day of Christian worship in Nepal, 500 people were reported to have died in the collapses. [106] [107]
Several temples on Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, collapsed, [28] as did the Dharahara tower, built in 1832; the collapse of the latter structure killed at least 180 people, [108] [109] [110] [111] Manakamana Temple in Gorkha, previously damaged in an earlier quake, tilted several inches further. The northern side of Janaki Mandir in Janakpur was reported to have been damaged.[ citation needed ] Several temples, including Kasthamandap, Panchtale temple, the top levels of the nine-story Basantapur Durbar, the Dasa Avtar temple and two shrines located behind the Shiva Parvati temple were demolished by the quake. Some other monuments including the Taleju Bhawani Temple partially collapsed. [112] [113]
The top of the Jaya Bageshwari Temple in Gaushala and some parts of the Pashupatinath Temple, Swyambhunath, Boudhanath Stupa, Ratna Mandir, inside Rani Pokhari, and Durbar High School have been destroyed. [114]
In Patan, the Char Narayan Mandir, the statue of Yog Narendra Malla, a pati inside Patan Durbar Square, the Taleju Temple, the Hari Shankar, Uma Maheshwar Temple and the Machhindranath Temple in Bungamati were destroyed. In Tripureshwar, the Kal Mochan Ghat, a temple inspired by Mughal architecture, was completely destroyed and the nearby Tripura Sundari also suffered significant damage. In Bhaktapur, several monuments, including the Phasi Deva temple, the Chardham temple and the 17th century Vatsala Durga Temple were fully or partially destroyed. [114]
Outside the Valley, the Manakamana Temple in Gorkha, the Gorkha Durbar, the Palanchok Bhagwati, in Kabhrepalanchok District, the Rani Mahal in Palpa District, the Churiyamai in Makwanpur District, the Dolakha Bhimsensthan in Dolakha District, and the Nuwakot Durbar suffered varying degrees of damage. Historian Prushottam Lochan Shrestha stated, "We have lost most of the monuments that had been designated as World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur District, Nepal. They cannot be restored to their original states." [114] The northeastern parts of India also received major damage. Heavy shocks were felt in the states of Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and others. Huge damage was caused to the property and the lives of the people.
Concern was expressed that harvests could be reduced or lost this season as people affected by the earthquake would have only a short time to plant crops before the onset of the Monsoon rains. [115]
Nepal, with a total Gross Domestic Product of US$19.921 billion (according to a 2012 estimate), [116] is one of Asia's poorest countries, and has little ability to fund a major reconstruction effort on its own. [117] Even before the quake, the Asian Development Bank estimated that it would need to spend about four times more than it currently does annually on infrastructure through to 2020 to attract investment. [117] The U.S. Geological Survey initially estimated economic losses from the tremor at 9 per cent to 50 per cent of gross domestic product, with a best guess of 35 per cent. "It's too hard for now to tell the extent of the damage and the effect on Nepal's GDP", according to Hun Kim, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) official. The ADB said on the 28th that it would provide a US$3 million grant to Nepal for immediate relief efforts, and up to US$200 million for the first phase of rehabilitation. [117]
Rajiv Biswas, an economist at a Colorado-based consultancy, said that rebuilding the economy will need international effort over the next few years as it could "easily exceed" US$5 billion. [117] [118] [ failed verification ]
More recent studies estimate the damage from the earthquake to be closer to US$10 billion (which would be around 50% of Nepals GDP at the time). [119]
It was reported that the survivors were preyed upon by human traffickers involved in the supply of girls and women to the brothels of South Asia. These traffickers took advantage of the chaos that resulted from the aftermath of the earthquake. [120] The most affected were women from poor communities who lost their homes. [121] In response to the unsafe conditions of the temporary campsites, international organizations implemented Safety Committees which were provided cash grants for necessities like additional toilets and bathrooms. [122]
Single women had very little access to relief, according to a report by the Inter-party Women's Alliance (IPWA). The report also found that violence and rapes against women and minors have increased after the earthquake. [123] Additionally, the earthquake has significantly affected certain groups of people. Tibeto-Burman peoples were hardest hit as they tend to inhabit the higher slopes of mountains as opposed to the central valleys and are less educated and connected. All of these factors make them harder to access. According to a government survey, malnutrition in children has worsened considerably some 3 months after the quake, with the most undernourished being Tamang and Chepang peoples. [124] Before the quake, 41 percent of children under five were stunted, 29 percent were underweight and 11 percent were emaciated, according to the World Food Programme. [124]
Though a feared mass cholera outbreak failed to materialize (there were sporadic reports), other outbreaks were reported. At least 13 people died of scrub typhus while 240 people were taken ill since the disease was first diagnosed in the country in August 2015 until September 2016. [125] The mental and emotional impact of an earthquake is the other invisible disaster. [126] Medical Doctors from India, Ramachandra Kamath, Edmond Fernandes and Prakash Narayan stated that elderly care in disaster was more important than women and child focused one for Nepal earthquake and absence of military support for medical aid providers impacted relief work. [127]
About 90% of soldiers from the Nepalese Army were sent to the stricken areas in the aftermath of the earthquake under Operation Sankat Mochan, with volunteers mobilized from other parts of the country. [128] Rainfall and aftershocks were factors complicating the rescue efforts, with potential secondary effects like additional landslides and further building collapses being concerns. Impassable roads and damaged communications infrastructure posed substantial challenges to rescue efforts. [129] Survivors were found up to a week after the earthquake. [130] [131] [132]
As of 1 May international aid agencies like Médecins Sans Frontières and the Red Cross were able to start medically evacuating the critically wounded by helicopter from outlying areas, initially cut-off from the capital city, Kathmandu, [19] and treating others in mobile and makeshift facilities. [133] [134] There was concern about epidemics due to the shortage of clean water, the makeshift nature of living conditions and the lack of toilets. [135]
Emergency workers were able to identify four men who had been trapped in rubble, and rescue them, using advanced heartbeat detection. The four men were trapped in up to ten feet of rubble in the village of Chautara, north of Kathmandu. An international team of rescuers from several countries using FINDER devices found two sets of men under two different collapsed buildings. [136]
Volunteers used crisis mapping to help plan emergency aid work. [137] Local organization Kathmandu Living Labs helped coordinate local knowledge on the ground and collaborated with international crisis mapping and humanitarian organizations. Public volunteers from around the world participated in crowdmapping and added details into online maps. [138] [139] [140] [141] [142] [143] [144] Information was mapped from data input from social media, satellite pictures [145] and drones [137] of passable roads, collapsed houses, stranded, shelterless and starving people, who needed help, and from messages and contact details of people willing to help. [146] On-site volunteers verified these mapping details wherever they could to reduce errors. The technologies used by Kathmandu Living Labs were built on top of existing open source solutions which allowed them to work in a fast and cost effective manner. [147]
Digital mappers, through the Kathmandu Living Labs, were already charting the densely populated Kathmandu Valley, and then focused on earthquake relief. "They were doing an inventory in the poorer communities where they didn't have a very good sense of the quality of buildings," says Cowan, whose students helped add Kathmandu's buildings and roads to OpenStreetMap. First responders, from Nepalese citizens to the Red Cross, the Nepal army and the United Nations used this data. The Nepal earthquake crisis mapping utilized experience gained and lessons learned about planning emergency aid work from earthquakes in Haiti and Indonesia. [148]
India pledged to donate $1 billion in cash and materials to Nepal. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said "I am happy to announce Government of India's pledge for Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction of Nepali Rupees 10,000 crores, equivalent to one billion US dollars, one fourth of it as Grant." The International Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction has been organised by the Nepalese government to raise funds for rebuilding the country. [149]
Reports are also coming in of sub-standard relief materials and inedible food being sent to Nepal by many of the foreign aid agencies. [150] [151]
A United States Marine Corps helicopter crashed on 12 May while involved in delivering relief supplies. The Bell UH-1Y Venom crashed at Charikot, roughly 45 miles (72 kilometres) east of Kathmandu. Two Nepalese soldiers and six American Marines died in the crash. [152]
Need-fulfillment application, Getmii, launched a special pilot version in partnership with the Red Cross to double daily blood donors at the Kathmandu donation center using the app. [153]
Imaging technologies such as satellites and smartphones, were instrumental to relief efforts in Nepal. [154] GLIMS, group of volunteer scientists from nine nations, were able to provide rapid, systematic mapping of the damaged area, allowing the investigation of earthquake-induced geo-hazard processes that provided information to relief and recovery officials on the same timeframe as those operations were occurring. [155]
Charities and Crowdfunding platforms received over $230 million in donations from support groups. The money was used to provide medical supplies, for reconstruction of damaged buildings including schools and hospitals, and building orphanages for the victims among other things. [156]
UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture began strengthening damaged monuments in danger of collapsing before the monsoon season. Subsequent restoration of collapsed structures, including historic houses is planned. Architectural drawings exist that provide plans for reconstruction. According to UNESCO, more than 30 monuments in the Kathmandu Valley collapsed in the quakes, and another 120 incurred partial damage. [157] Repair estimates are $160 million to restore 1,000 damaged and destroyed monasteries, temples, historic houses, and shrines across the country. The destruction is concentrated in the Kathmandu Valley. UNESCO designated seven groups of multi-ethnic monuments clustered in the valley as a single World Heritage Site, including Swayambhu, the three squares namely Durbar square of Kathmandu, Patan Durbar Square, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, and the Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan. Out of them only three were damaged in the quakes—three Durbar squares, the temple of Changu Narayan, and the 1655 temple in Sankhu. [158] Drones fly above cultural heritage sites to provide 3D images of the damage to use for planning repairs. [159]
After an international donors conference held in Kathmandu on 25 June 2015 a multi donor trust fund of US$4.4 billion was established to aid the reconstruction of affected housing in 14 districts of Nepal. [160] [161] This covered 66 per cent of the country's total recovery and reconstruction needs of US$6.7 billion. [160] Implementation of the Program consisted of five phases i.e. Survey, Identification and Validation, Enrollment, Reconstruction and Completion. [162] The data collection for the program was done digitally using tablets and resulted in collection of over 10 TB of data. [163] The data was openly released to the public by the National Planning Commission and is available for download on their website. [164]
A total of $3bn was pledged by donors to help rebuild Nepal. [165] [166] UNICEF said close to 1.7 million children had been driven out into the open, and were in desperate need of drinking water, psychological counsel, temporary shelters, sanitation and protection from disease outbreak. It distributed water, tents, hygiene kits, water purification tablets and buckets. [167] Numerous other organizations provided similar support. [168]
India was the first to respond within hours, being Nepal's immediate neighbour, [169] with Operation Maitri which provided rescue and relief by its armed forces. It also evacuated its own and other countries' stranded nationals. India has been the largest aid donor to Nepal following the earthquake with a billion dollar support apart from other non-monetary reliefs extended. [149] China, the Asian Development Bank and the United Kingdom provided significant bilateral aid and other nations and organisations provided aid, rescue teams and helicopters as requested by the Nepalese government. [170] [171] [172]
On 26 April 2015, international aid agencies and governments mobilized rescue workers and aid for the earthquake. They faced challenges in both getting assistance to Nepal and ferrying people to remote areas as the country had few helicopters. [173] [174] Relief efforts were also hampered by Nepalese government insistence on routing aid through the Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund and its National Emergency Operation Center. After concerns were raised, it was clarified that "Non-profits" or NGOs already in the country could continue receiving aid directly and bypass the official fund. [173] [175] Aid mismatch and supply of "leftovers" by donors, [176] aid diversion in Nepal, [177] mistrust over control of the distribution of funds and supplies, [178] [179] [180] congestion and customs delays at Kathmandu's airport and border check posts were also reported. [181] [182] On 3 May 2015, restrictions were placed on heavy aircraft flying in aid supplies after new cracks were noticed on the runway at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal's only airport able to handle larger jet aircraft. [183] [184]
The list below gives a break-up of pledged donations, by each nation, along with aid in kind, delivered immediately. [185]
Aid agency / country | Cash donation (US $) | Humanitarian aid and supplies | Other aid | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies | $535,664.55 emergency fund activated | Volunteers (first-aid, search-&-rescue) | Blood-bank supplies to areas in the capital | [134] |
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) | Rapid intervention surgical kit with 11-member team left Kathmandu for Gorkha (200 km north-west) (61 staff deployed) | Water and sanitation – makeshift camps – Tudikhel (Kathmandu), Bhaktapur (14 km east of Kathmandu), first-aid material to Bhaktapur hospital | [133] [174] | |
European Union | $3.3 million | Aid, first-response teams and civil-protection experts | [186] | |
Algeria | $1 million | 70 relief workers, medicines, and other supplies | [187] | |
Australia | $15.86 million | • $3,568,500 to the United Nations relief effort, $793,000 to the World Health Organization, $793,000 to the Australian Red Cross, $396,500 to the RedR Australia relief organisation, $3.172 million for other Australian NGOs. | • 2 humanitarian experts and a crisis-response team initially. | [188] [189] [190] [191] |
Austria | $835,000 | Austrian Red Cross search-&-rescue staff | [192] | |
Azerbaijan | 1 ton of medical supplies, tents, blankets and water (Ministry of Emergency Situations) | [193] | ||
Bangladesh | • BAF Lockheed C-130B aircraft with 10 tonnes of relief materials – tents, dry food, water, blankets, etc. | A 34-member team (6 military medical teams and foreign ministry officials). Stranded Bangladeshis airlifted. | [194] [195] [196] [197] | |
Belgium | $5.5 million | Search-&-rescue teams | [198] | |
Bhutan | $1 million | 63 personnel medical team | [199] [200] [201] [202] [203] | |
Brunei | 8-man relief team (2 doctors, 4 paramedics from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and Brunei's Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU) | [204] | ||
Canada | $4.16 million; $832,000 to the Canadian Red Cross | A Boeing C-17 with supplies – blankets, jerry-cans, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, and tarps | 150 Canadian troops; a Disaster Assistance Response Team – 30 experts; pledges by humanitarian organizations; immigration assistance | [205] [206] [207] [208] [209] |
China | $483 million | Tents, blankets, and generators; emergency response for citizens | China International Search and Rescue Team (CISAR) – 268 members, 26 search-&-rescue dogs | [210] [211] [212] [213] [214] [215] |
Colombia | Fundraising by the Colombian Red Cross | Over 1,500 volunteers from national societies. | Evacuation of citizens and aid (when needed) | [216] [217] [218] [219] |
Czech Republic | $791,378 | Blankets, medical supplies, water and food; and a special trauma team – transported with a Boeing 737 | 36 medical workers and 13 firefighters. Evacuated 54 Czechs and 48 EU citizens. | [220] [221] [222] |
Denmark | $744,000 | Aid (TBD) | [223] | |
Estonia | Fundraising | 15 rescue workers and medics (could not land – airport congestion) | [224] [225] [226] | |
Finland | $3.35 million; fundraising by the Finnish Red Cross | Medical and logistical supplies | A Finnish Red Cross relief workers team | [227] [228] [229] [230] |
France | Equipment and supplies | Crisis centre at Foreign Ministry; a reinforcement team in New Delhi; 11 rescuers, (more help if needed) | [231] [232] | |
Germany | $68.34 million (€60 million), donated by the public | A mobile medical centre | 52 relief workers team – physicians, searchers, dog squads; the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW)'s Rapid Deployment Unit Water and Sanitation Abroad (SEEWA) | [233] [234] [235] [236] |
Greece | Search-&-rescue teams | [198] | ||
Haiti | $1 million | [237] | ||
Hong Kong | $6.45 million | World Vision Hong Kong raised $1.29 million to provide victims with tents, tarpaulins, solar-powered lights, and other necessities. | [238] [239] [240] | |
Hungary | $1 million (HUF 300 million) | [241] | ||
India | $1 billion by the government | Material aid in Operation Maitri: • 8 tons of baby food | Rescue aid: • 16 National Disaster Response Force teams, over 1,000 personnel, search-&-rescue dogs Evacuation of over 20,000 Indian citizens and hundreds of foreign nationals by air and road | [242] [243] [244] [245] [246] [247] [248] [249] [250] [251] [252] [253] [254] [255] [256] [257] [258] [259] |
Indonesia | $2 million | 2 Boeing 737-400s belonging to the Indonesian Armed Forces and Garuda Indonesia, flew with 6 tons of relief supplies – blankets, body bags, food, water hospital and sleeping tents, medical equipment: and medicines | 66 personnel of SAR and Medical team | [260] [261] |
Iran | An 80,000 pounds (36,000 kg) relief package (via India) | [262] [263] [264] | ||
Ireland | $1.126 million | [265] | ||
Israel | Three IAF Hercules and two El Al Boeing 747-400 jets carrying a joint IDF and MFA search-&-rescue team and 95 tons of equipment including a field hospital (with premature-babies ward), cutters, electronic sniffers, generators, and lighting equipment. The planes were also used for evacuation. | 264 person search-&-rescue team, including physicians. | [266] [267] [268] | |
Italy | $326,000 | [269] | ||
Japan | $8.4 million | Emergency relief supplies worth US$210,000 | 70 experts – Foreign Ministry, the National Police Agency, and JICA, along with rescuers, search-&-rescue dog handlers, communication specialists, physicians, and field coordinators | [198] [270] [271] |
Macau | $2 million | MGM Macau donated $60,000 to the Macau Red Cross for the ongoing earthquake relief effort in Nepal | [272] | |
Malaysia | 20 doctors – Mercy Malaysia and Malaysian Red Crescent; 30-man rescue team – Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) | [273] [274] [275] | ||
Maldives | Other aid (TBA) | [276] | ||
Mexico | Earthquake rescue brigade and engineers. | [234] [277] [278] | ||
Monaco | Other aid (TBA) | [234] | ||
Netherlands | $4.45 million by the government and $25.394.275,18 raised by GIRO 555 Action ('Netherlands helps Nepal') | 5 tons of relief supplies | 62-man and 8-dog team; several physicians, nurses, and engineers | [279] [280] |
New Zealand | $771,000 in humanitarian aid | 45 urban search and rescue technicians, 2 aid workers and an engineer. | [281] [282] | |
Norway | $31.1 million (as of 25 May 2015). Including: $17.3 million (Norwegian government) and $13.8 million in donations to Norwegian aid organizations through aid concerts and donations from the Norwegian public. | Deployed NORSAR Search and Rescue team, consisting of search dogs, emergency medical personnel and firefighters and equipment and aid of 15.3 tonnes. Transported with the help of a Boeing 737-800 of Norwegian Air Shuttle. | [283] [284] [285] | |
Pakistan | •Four Lockheed C-130 planes | Military emergency personnel including army doctors, medical staff, and the combined ERRA-NDMA's special search and rescue teams with sniffer dogs | [286] [287] | |
Philippines | Soldiers, Philippine Red Cross staff, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Humanitarian Assistance Team and volunteers | [288] [289] [290] | ||
Poland | 15 tons of humanitarian aid, including food, medicines, clothes, water purification tablets, etc., donated by the Republic of Poland and various Polish charitable organizations. | 81 firefighters of the State Fire Service, 12 search and rescue dogs, and 6 doctors of the Polish Center for International Aid | [291] [292] [293] | |
Portugal | $200,000 (€160,000) | [294] | ||
Qatar | 2 aircraft with 60 tons of relief materials, such as food, medicines, power generators, and tents; 2 additional aircraft with 120 tons of relief materials, in addition to a field hospital provided by Qatari Red Crescent | Aid operations | [295] | |
Russia | Two Ilyushin Il-76 airplanes with 'a team of 90 rescuers and rescue equipment,' and 'a batch of humanitarian aid of food products and articles of daily necessity.' | 50 highly skilled rescue workers | [296] [297] | |
Saudi Arabia | The Kingdom has sent 190 tons of aid to earthquake-hit Nepal, which includes food, tents and medical supplies, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Kingdom also sent medical workers. | [298] | ||
Singapore | $100,000 | 60 members of the Singapore Civil Defence Force; officers from Singapore's police forces, including the Gurkha Contingent; another relief team | . [198] [299] | |
Slovakia | $33,000 | [300] | ||
Slovenia | $55,000 | [301] [302] [303] | ||
South Africa | A search and rescue team composed of members of the South African Police Service with police dogs to aid in the rescue operation. | [304] | ||
South Korea | $1 million | Sindhupalchok area • 1000 tents | 42 search and rescue workers including 15 medics and two assistants. Two sniffer dogs. | [305] [306] [307] [308] |
Spain | 30 tons of humanitarian aid, including more than 3,200 blankets, 1680 awnings and 500 kitchen sets, donated in part by Spanish Red Cross. | 47 soldiers of the Military Emergencies Unit and seven agents of the Civil Guard, with 60 tons of material, in order to find Spanish citizens unlocated. | [309] [310] [311] | |
Sri Lanka | SLAF C-130 Hercules flight and Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A330 flight with 17 tonnes of medicine, engineering, signal and ordnance equipment, supportive transport requirements, water bottles, health accessories, dry rations, and water purification tablets, etc. | Groups of specialist physicians, other medical staff, and medicine; 44 Sri Lanka Armed Forces personnel and 4 medical consultants; a team of 156 persons, including 11 airmen, 4 medical consultants, and 14 sailors; 97 service personnel: 72 Sri Lanka Army personnel, 14 Sri Lanka Navy personnel, 11 Sri Lanka Air Force personnel | [312] [313] | |
Sweden | $1.5 million | 40 support personnel: ICT, coordination, assessment, camp technicians, structural engineer | [314] | |
Switzerland | $26.7 million (fundraising) | 38 tonnes of relief supplies | Experts, including a physician, a building surveyor, and a water quality technician | [315] [316] [317] |
Taiwan | $300,000 | Nepal rejected Taiwan's offer to send search and rescue teams due to "China factor". | [318] [319] | |
Thailand | $200,000 by government $302,000 by the king $5.56 million by the public | Medics and rescue staff | [320] [321] [322] [323] [324] | |
Turkey | 1,000 tents and 320 food packages. | Up to 96 search and rescue staff | [325] | |
United Arab Emirates | $1.36 million | Medical and food supplies, purchased from India | 88 search and rescue staff | [198] [326] |
United Kingdom | $130 million (£83 million), of which $51 million (£33 million) was donated by the government and $79 million (£50 million) was donated by the public | 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid and 8 tonnes of equipment | Around 100 search and rescue responders, medical experts, and disaster and rescue experts deployed by the Department for International Development's United Kingdom International Search and Rescue Team; engineers from the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas; three Chinook helicopters (returned unused by the Nepalese government) | [327] [328] [329] [330] [331] [332] |
United States | $10 million by government, the public donates separately through several agencies | A disaster response team from USAID; Urban Search and Rescue Virginia Task Force 1 from Fairfax County, Virginia was deployed to Nepal from the Dover Air Force Base; Los Angeles County's Urban Search and Rescue California Task Force 2; U.S. Army Green Beret soldiers; 900 Marines of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade; eight C-130s, five helicopters and four V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft | [333] [334] [335] [336] [337] [338] | |
Vatican City | $100,000 | [339] | ||
Vietnam | $50,000 by government $30,000 by the Vietnam Red Cross | 11 rescuers – Vietnam Red Cross | [340] [341] | |
Approximate Total | USD $3 billion | [342] [343] |
Sindhupalchok District is a part of Bagmati Province and one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal, with an area of 2,542 km2 (981 sq mi). The district's headquarters is in Chautara. In 2006, 336,478 people resided in 79 village development committees; in 2011 there were 287,798.
An earthquake occurred at 08:50:39 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October 2005 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a territory under Pakistan. Its epicenter was 19 km northeast of the city of Muzaffarabad, and 90 km north north-east of Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It registered a moment magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The earthquake was also felt in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, India and the Xinjiang region. The severity of the damage caused by the earthquake is attributed to severe upthrust. Although not the largest earthquake to hit this region in terms of magnitude it is considered the deadliest, surpassing the 1935 Quetta earthquake. Sources indicate that the official death toll in this quake in Pakistan was between 73,276 and 87,350, with some estimates being as high as over 100,000 dead. In India, 1,360 people were killed, while 6,266 people were injured. Three and a half million people were left without shelter, and approximately 138,000 people were injured in the quake.
Dharahara or Bhimsen Stambha, is a 72-metre-tall (236 ft) tower at the centre of Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was first built in 1832 by Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa under the commission of Queen Lalit Tripurasundari and was a part of the architecture of Kathmandu recognized by UNESCO. It has been damaged and reconstructed several times.
Tansen is a Municipality and the administrative center of Palpa District in the "hills" of central Nepal. It is located on the highway between Butwal and Pokhara, on the crest of the Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalaya overlooking the valley of the Kaligandaki River to the north. The highway bypasses the town center on the west, protecting pedestrian amenities in the central maze of steep, narrow, winding alleys lined with Newari shophouses and temples.
Langtang was a village development committee (VDC) in Rasuwa District in the Bagmati Zone of northern Nepal. It was located within the Langtang valley, approximately 40 miles northeast of Kathmandu. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census, it had a population of 468 people living in 100 individual households.
The Chi-Chi earthquake, was a 7.3 ML or 7.7 Mw earthquake which occurred in Jiji (Chi-Chi), Nantou County, Taiwan on 21 September 1999 at 01:47:12 local time. 2,415 people were killed, 11,305 injured, and NT$300 billion worth of damage was done. It is the second-deadliest earthquake in Taiwan's recorded history, after the 1935 Shinchiku-Taichū earthquake.
The 2011 Sikkim earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and was centered within the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, near the border of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, at 18:10 IST on Sunday, 18 September. The earthquake was felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet.
The 2011 Van earthquakes occurred in eastern Turkey near the city of Van. The first earthquake happened on 23 October at 13:41 local time. The shock had a Mww magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). It occurred at a shallow depth, causing heavy shaking across much of eastern Turkey and lighter tremors across neighboring parts of the South Caucasus and Levant. According to Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency on 30 October, the earthquake killed 604 and injured 4,152. At least 11,232 buildings sustained damage in the region, 6,017 of which were found to be uninhabitable. The uninhabitable homes left as much as 8,321 households with an average household population of around 7.6 homeless in the province; this could mean that at least around 60,000 people were left homeless. The other 5,215 have been damaged but are habitable. A separate earthquake within the same earthquake system happened on 9 November at 21:23 local time. 38 people were killed and 260 people were injured in the 9 November earthquake.
Operation Maitri was a rescue and relief operation in Nepal by the government of India and Indian armed forces in the aftermath of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. Indian government responded within few minutes of the quake. It started on 26 April 2015 and also involved Nepali ex-servicemen from India's Gurkha Regiments for interface for guidance, relief and rescue.
An earthquake struck Nepal at 11:56:25 NST on 25 April 2015 with a moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). It was the most powerful earthquake to strike Nepal since the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake. Many thousands of people died, with most casualties reported in Nepal, and adjoining areas of India, China,Bhutan and Bangladesh.
In the afternoon of 25 April 2015, a MW 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal and surrounding countries. Tremors from the quake triggered an avalanche from Pumori into Base Camp on Mount Everest. At least twenty-two people were killed, surpassing the toll of an avalanche that occurred in 2014 as the deadliest disaster on the mountain.
Bibeksheel Nepali Dal is a political party in Nepal. The name "Bibeksheel" translates to "common sense wisdom".
A major earthquake occurred in Nepal on 12 May 2015 at 12:50 pm local time with a moment magnitude of 7.3, 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Kodari. The epicenter was on the border of Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk, two districts of Nepal. This earthquake occurred on the same fault as the larger magnitude 7.8 earthquake of 25 April, but further east than the original quake. As such, it is considered to be an aftershock of the April quake. It struck at a depth of 18.5 km (11.5 mi). Shaking was felt in northern parts of India including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Tremors were felt as far as about 2,400 km away from the epicenter in Chennai.
Operation Sahayogi Haat was a US military relief operation delivering humanitarian assistance to victims of the April and May 2015 Nepal earthquakes. About 900 US military and civilian personnel were involved, with about 300 deployed in Nepal. 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade was tasked to form Joint Task Force 505, which was responsible for managing the relief operation from May 6 to 26, 2015.
The October 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake was a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck South Asia on 26 October 2015, at 13:39 AFT with the epicenter 45 km north of Kuran wa Munjan, Afghanistan, at a depth of 231.0 km.
The Nepal humanitarian crisis (2015-2017) developed owing to a lack of action following the April 2015 Nepal earthquake and its aftershocks. It was compounded by political factors as a result of the 2015 Nepal blockade. Victims of the earthquakes were still living in flimsy, temporary shelters more than a year after the initial devastation. The governmental National Reconstruction Authority had not devised relocation plans for these people as recently as July 2016. In Sindhupalchok District, the region that had suffered the worst devastation, the humanitarian situation was a little better towards the end of 2016 than it had been in 2015.
Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL) is a living lab and nonprofit civic technology company based in Kathmandu, Nepal that primarily works on mobile technology and mapping. KLL focuses on using GPS/GIS technology for humanitarian aims, sometimes referred to as "humanitarian mapping".
The 1833 Nepal–India earthquake occurred on August 26 at 22:58 local time (NPT). This earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude of 7.6–7.9 and struck with an epicenter somewhere in or near the Kathmandu Valley. The earthquake caused major destruction in numerous towns and villages in Nepal, northern India, and Tibet. The earthquake was also felt in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Despite the extent of the damage, the number of fatalities resulting from the earthquake was surprisingly low, at approximately 500. This was because the mainshock was preceded by two smaller but intense foreshocks earlier that day, causing many residents to take refuge outside their homes.
A 4.0-kilometre (2.5 mi) deep earthquake measuring magnitude (Mw ) 6.2 struck southeastern Afghanistan on 22 June 2022 at 01:24:36 AFT. The earthquake had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). There were 1,052–1,163 deaths and 1,627–2,976 injured in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The worst affected provinces in Afghanistan were Paktika, Paktia, Khost and Nangarhar. Casualties and damage also occurred in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At least 10,000 homes collapsed or were severely damaged. The earthquake's shallow hypocenter, proximity to populated areas and low building quality contributed to its destructive effects. Shaking was felt over 500 km (310 mi) away by at least 119 million people, including Pakistan's Punjab and parts of India and Iran.
A moment magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Jajarkot District, Karnali Province, Nepal, at 23:47 NPT on 3 November 2023, killing 153 people and injuring at least 375. The earthquake was widely felt in western Nepal and northern India, and is the deadliest to strike the country since 2015.
Fotedar, 49, was an avid climber who held dual Indian and Australian citizenship
The UK's humanitarian response now stands at more than £33 million [$51 million]; "RAF Chinooks recalled from Nepal quake effort without flying a mission". The Guardian. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.