The death toll in Nepal after a massive earthquake stands at 597, according to Laxmi Dhakal, a spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
There have been at least 15 aftershocks of 4.5 magnitude and higher in Nepal since a massive 7.8 earthquake struck the mountainous Asian nation around midday Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Many people in Kathmandu are waiting in open spaces outside for fear of more powerful tremors, witnesses said.
A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake centered less than 50 miles from Kathmandu rocked Nepal with devastating force early Saturday, killing more than 150 people in Nepal’s capital city, authorities said.
The injured were being treated outside hospitals in chaotic scenes. Residents, terrorized by a series of strong aftershocks, huddled outdoors. Historic buildings in Kathmandu lay in rubble on the ground.
The death toll was reported by Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs. Given that the rescue effort is still in its early stages and that people in outlying areas may well have been affected, as well, it seems possible the number could rise.Kathmandu, which sits in a valley surround by the Himalayas, has a population of 1 million people.
Source: CNN
