7 Things You Need to Know About Nepal's Devastating Earthquake
The earthquake that hit Nepal on Saturday caused massive destruction and a rapidly rising death toll. Here's what you need to know about what happened and what you can do to help.
The quake struck at about noon local time and the epicenter was between Nepal's capital Kathmandu and the city Pokhara.Â
Unicef reports that 1 million children are now at risk in Nepal and neighboring countries. Hospitals in Nepal are no overcrowded and the country's government has appealed for international aid. They're in search of food, water and supplies for survivors.Â
Scientists told CNN, that, given the geology and history of the area, this earthquake was expected. Kate Ravilious, a geologist and scientist told CNN that because of the infrastructure of the country and the fact that it's landlocked, "a big one" like this was not a surprise.Â
According to USGS, people in in India's West Bengal and Bihar regions were able to feel the tremor.
Zubin Zaman, Oxfam India's Deputy Director, told BuzzFeed News that poor construction and urban planning were already a problem in Nepal. The earthquake has blocked roads and made it even more difficult to reach people who live in more remote areas of the country.Â
A group of climbers were at the base of Mt. Everest when the violent earthquake hit Nepal. It caused an avalanche on the mountain that killed at least 18 people and was all caught on video. The diverse group of climbers included a filmmaker, Google executive and a physician's assistant. Conditions on the mountain are so unstable that relief workers are only able to get two climbers off the mountain at a time.
