(Bloomberg) — The most powerful earthquake to hit Nepal since 1934 killed at least 1,500 people, including more than a dozen climbers on Mount Everest, and left thousands more trapped under rubble as governments and humanitarian groups rushed to offer assistance.
Panic set in after the 7.8-magnitude temblor struck at 11:41 a.m. Indian Standard Time on Saturday, centered 77 kilometers (48 miles) northwest of the capital Kathmandu, and was followed by at least a dozen aftershocks as strong as 6.6 magnitude. The death toll has climbed to 1,500, Minendra Rijal, Nepal's information minister, said on India's Times Now news channel.
The number of dead is "bound to rise," said Tirtha Raj Wagle, a counselor at Nepal's embassy in New Delhi. "In Kathmandu, many old buildings have collapsed."
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
