The eerie moment hundreds of birds filled the sky as terrifying
earthquake hit Kathmandu: Spooky footage emerges of flock fleeing
crumbling buildings
- Video captures moment 7.9-magnitude earthquake hits the Nepalese capital
- Begins with peaceful scene as music plays and people chat in background
- Calm shattered when tremor struck, burying people under piles of rubble
- More than 3,700 people have been killed since disaster struck on Saturday
By
Simon Tomlinson for MailOnline
Published:
09:44 GMT, 27 April 2015
|
Updated:
13:18 GMT, 27 April 2015
This
is the eerie moment hundreds of birds suddenly filled the sky when the
devastating earthquake rocked the Nepalese capital, destroying buildings
and burying people under mountains of rubble.
The
terrifying footage was taken as the 7.9-magnitude quake hit Kathmandu
in a disaster that has killed more than 3,700 people across the region.
It
begins with a peaceful scene showing blue skies above the city while
music plays and people chat happily in the background at around noon on
Saturday.
But
the calm is shattered when the massive tremor strikes, violently
shaking buildings, smashing plates and sending people running for cover
in the city's historic Durbar Square.
Hundreds
of birds are then seen fleeing the area en masse as a huge cloud of
dust is spewed high above the city, darkening the sky.
Scroll down for videos
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Caught on video: Hundreds of birds fill the sky above Kathmandu as a massive earthquake hits the Napalese capital in a disaster that has killed more than 3,600 people across the region
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Eerie: The calm was shattered when the
massive tremor hit, violently shaking buildings in the Nepalese city's
historic Durbar Square
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Calm: The video began with a peaceful
scene showing blue skies above the city while music plays and people
chat happily in the background
The video, published by Sozcu TV and Live Leak,
emerged as thousands of Nepalis began escaping the capital today,
terror-stricken by two days of powerful aftershocks and fearing
shortages of food and water after the earthquake struck.
Roads
leading out of the mountain valley city of one million were jammed with
people, many with babies in their arms, trying to climb onto buses or
hitch a ride aboard cars and trucks.
Huge queues had formed at Kathmandu airport with people desperate to get a flight out.
Many
said they had slept in the open since Saturday's quake, either because
their homes were flattened or they were terrified that aftershocks would
bring them crashing down.
'We are escaping,' said Krishna Muktari, who runs a small grocery store in Kathmandu city, standing at a major road intersection.
'How can you live here? I have got children, they can't be rushing out of the house all night.'
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A Nepalese police officer walks among the rubble of collapsed buildings after the earthquake in Kathmandu
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A man walks through destruction caused by the earthquake, in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu
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Race against time: A rescue team with a
sniffer dog search for survivors among the rubble in Bhaktapur on the
outskirts of Kathmandu after a devastating earthquake struck the region
on Saturday
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A Nepalese man carries a child as he walks past destroyed buildings in Bhaktapur, just outside Kathmandu
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Grim task: Rescue teams identify bodies dug out of the collapsed Sitapyla church in Kathmandu
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Members of the Nepalese army pull a dead body from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kathmandu
UNESCO Tower collapses as earthquake devastates Nepal
The disaster is thought to have cost more than $5billion (£3.3bn) or around 20 per cent of the country's GDP.
Overwhelmed authorities were trying to cope with a shortage of drinking water and food as well as the threat of disease.
The sick and wounded were lying out in the open in Kathmandu, unable to find beds in the devastated city's hospitals.
Surgeons set up an operating theatre inside a tent in the grounds of Kathmandu Medical College.
PayPal announced it was waiving fees for donations to several aid organisations.
'We
are overwhelmed with rescue and assistance requests from all across the
country,' said Deepak Panda, a member of the country's disaster
management.
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Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and
Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) members attend a rescue operation
among the debris of a house after a powerful earthquake hits Kathmandu
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Salvaging their life's possessions:
People collect their remaining belongings and food from the rubble after
the earthquake that destroyed homes in Kumalpur village, on the
outskirts of capital Kathmandu
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An elderly woman mourns in front of her destroyed home in the Kumalpur village, just outside Kathmandu
Meanwhile,
high in the Himalayas, hundreds of climbers were staying put at the
Mount Everest base camp where a huge avalanche after the earthquake
killed 17 people in the single worst disaster to hit the world's highest
mountain.
A
desperate helicopter rescue mission was under way today, with one
British mountaineer there speaking of a 'race against time' to pluck
around 120 people to safety as food runs out.
James Grieve, 52, speaking over a
satellite phone from Camp One said that the rescue effort was being
hampered by storms and the party's supplies would last only a few more
days.
He
was speaking as terrifying amateur video footage emerged of a massive
avalanche – triggered by the quake – hitting Everest base camp.
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Reduced to rubble: Nepalis gather at
the top of large mound where a temple once stood to view the scene of
devastation in Kathmandu after the 7.9-magnitude quake hit the Nepalese
capital
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Devastation: Thousands of Nepalis
began escaping the capital today, terror-stricken by two days of
powerful aftershocks and fearing shortages of food and water after the
earthquake struck
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Authorities were trying to cope with a shortage of drinking water and food and the threat of disease
Nepal's
mountaineering department said at least 18 people had been killed and
61 were injured in the avalanche, while an unknown number were still
missing.
Mr Grieve, of Kinross, Scotland, told The Sun:
'Everyone is apprehensive about what's happening and what will happen
in the next 24 hours. We have a few days of food and drink left.
'Our tents have all been lost and we have around 18 dead bodies at base camp.
'Rescue teams are struggling to get us help due to the weather and the next few days' forecasts are not great.
'There
is a lot of confusion in the camp and there are still about 120 of us
here waiting to be rescued. We are in a race against time to get off the
mountain.'
He
estimated up to 50 people had been killed and said there was a plan for
helicopters to rescue them today, although 'the choppers are only
taking two people off at a time'.
He
said he believed it could be Wednesday when they would be brought to
safety but warned of a forecast metre of snow which could set search
teams back.
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A man takes a selfie at the historic Dharahara Tower, a city landmark, that was damaged in the earthquake
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Locals take pictures with their mobile
phones at the historic Dharahara Tower, a city landmark, that was
damaged in Saturday's earthquake in Kathmandu
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Wrecked: Volunteers help remove debris at the historic Dharahara tower after the earthquake in Kathmandu
Helicopter footage shows devastation in earthquake epicenter
The
paper said he was in a party with fellow British climbers Alex
Staniforth, 19, of Chester, expedition leader Daniel Mazur, from Bristol
and Sam and Alex Chappatte, from London.
On Twitter yesterday, Mr Staniforth's UK-based support team revealed the difficulty caused by the weather.
They
said: 'Alex has just texted via sat phone. They will spend another
night at C1. Weather has drawn in making it too difficult to fly
choppers.'
After
the 6.7-magnitude aftershock, Mr Mazur tweeted: 'Aftershock @ 1pm!
Horrible here in camp 1. Avalanches on 3 sides. C1 a tiny island. We
worry about icefall team below.. Alive?'
He
later said: 'Icefall scouts back w/ news: GOOD: route is there. BAD: it
sustained damage. V BAD: icefall Sherpas bc gone; ran away to Namche!'
His
latest tweet, sent on Monday morning, read: 'Helicopters are now
rescuing climbers and sherpas from Camp One on Everest, back down to
Base Camp.'
Danish climber Carsten Lillelund Pedersen posted dramatic footage on his website Use The World of one of the first rescue helicopters to reach Everest.
It shows it landing on rocky terrain and two rescuers in yellow and black clothing being led to those in need of help.
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Residents rescue items from debris of a house that was damaged in Saturday's earthquake in Kathmandu
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Seeking solace: A Hindu Nepalese woman prays at Indrayani temple after it was destroyed by the earthquake
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A Nepalese man prays next to a building damaged in Saturday's earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal
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People pray before cremating the body of a victim of Saturday's earthquake, along a river in Kathmandu
The
horrifying video of an avalanche hitting Base Camp was taken by climber
Jost Kobusch, who worked in the Special Forces in the German Mountain
Army.
He said he felt the ground shaking and saw people sprinting away from the cloud of snow.
Dutch climber Eric Arnold described in a moving blog the horror of walking through Base Camp, which he described as a 'crash site'.
He
wrote: 'We walk through the base camp and see if we can help somewhere.
We can not do anything. In the morning the weather is equally clear.
'At that time, 35 wounded by helicopter to Kathmandu transported. Seventeen people have sadly deceased by the disaster.
'The camps of Adventure Consultants and Summit Climb are particularly badly hit.
'I
see very personal stuff - a log book, shampoo, slippers, reading
glasses, everything. It reminds me of the images of a crashed plane. BC
is nothing more than a crash site at this time.
'Some deaths have a face, a cameraman who walked two days in our camp is no longer alive.'
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A member of the Indian Air Force carries a Nepalese child who was wounded in Saturday's earthquake
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A Nepalese family rest in their makeshift shelter next to a road in Kathmandu two days after the quake
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A child peeks out of a hole in a
temporary tent in an open ground in Kathmandu after a powerful
earthquake followed by strong aftershocks struck Nepal, in Kathmandu,
Nepal
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Earthquake survivors line up as an Army tank provides drinking water in an open ground in Kathmandu
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Carnage: Footage from a helicopter shows the devastation across huge swathes of land in Nepal
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Rescue teams, helped by clear weather, used helicopters to airlift scores of people trapped at higher altitudes
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A man is pulled alive from the ruins
as his friend lies lifeless next to him in Swyambhu in the Kathmandu
Valley yesterday after he was trapped for nearly 24 hours
Nepal's
mountaineering department said at least 18 people had been killed and
61 were injured in the avalanche, while an unknown number were still
missing.
Rescue teams, helped by clear weather, used helicopters to airlift scores of people stranded at higher altitudes, two at a time.
Across Kathmandu and beyond, exhausted families laid mattresses out on streets and erected tents to shelter from rain.
People
queued for water dispensed from the back of trucks, while the few
stores still open had next to nothing on their shelves. Crowds jostled
for medicine at one pharmacy.
The
United Nations Childreds Fund said nearly one million children in Nepal
were severely affected by the quake, and warned of waterborne and
infectious diseases.
Terrifying moment avalanche hits Everest base camp
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Amateur video footage shows how a
group of climbers ran for their lives as the Nepal earthquake hit
at Everest Base Camp yesterday
HUNDREDS OF CLIMBERS STRANDED ON EVEREST AWAITING RESCUE
More than 700 climbers are stranded on Mount Everest awaiting helicopters after the avalanche blocked off all access points.
Between 17 and 19 people were killed when ice and rock crushed the base camp on Saturday.
On
Sunday morning, a fleet of six helicopters managed to lift 22 of the
most injured climbers and sherpas to Kathmandu for treatment.
But bad weather, continued aftershocks, and poor communication has scuppered subsequent trips, leaving hundreds stranded.
The
avalanche started on the nearby 23,000-foot Mount Kimori, which sent
ice and rock speeding down the mountain towards the base camp.
Aftershocks,
measuring around 6 on the Richter scale, have continued to pile snow on
to the remaining trails, meaning it is no longer safe to attempt a
climb down.
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More than 700 climbers are stranded on Mount Everest awaiting helicopters after the avalanche blocked off all access points
One expedition instructor, Daniel Mazur, managed to tweet an update from the mountains at midday Eastern Time.
He
informed his followers a route had been found but it is badly damaged.
Most of the sherpas assisting their climb, he said, have fled to the
nearby village of Namche.
Another, Adrian Ballinger, tweeted from the Tibetan side of the Himalayas.
He said the survivors have shared 'shots of blessed whiskey, hugs and smiles' as they await rescue.
American cardiologist Ellen Gallant has been providing medical assistance to the injured climbers that missed the helicopter.
She told AFP how, despite their efforts, one young Nepali man died due to lack of treatment.
'Of
the nine patients, one of them died last night - a 25-year-old sherpa.
His blood pressure had fallen - there was nothing we could do.
'When
you go to medical school, you learn to focus on the task at hand. But
now that things have settled down, it's hit me hard. That young man...
shouldn't have to die.'
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Footage shows a huge wall of snow and debris hurtling towards Everest Base Camp as climbers run for cover
In
the temple town of Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu, centuries old
buildings had collapsed and those that were still standing had cracks.
Many residents were living in tents in a school compound.
'We
have become refugees,' said Sarga Dhaoubadel, a management student
whose ancestors had built her Bhaktapur family home four centuries ago.
They were subsisting on instant noodles and fruit, she said.
'No one from the government has come to offer us even a glass of water,' she said.
'Nobody
has come to even check our health. We are totally on our own here. All
we can hope is that the aftershocks stop and we can try and get back
home.'
More
than 3,700 people were confirmed killed in the 7.9-magnitude quake, a
police official said on Monday, the worst in Nepal since 1934 when 8,500
died. More than 6,500 were injured.
Another 66 were killed across the border in India and at least another 20 in Tibet, China's state news agency said.
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Stranded:
Alex Staniforth (top) and Dan Mazur (bottom) are two of the British
climbers on Everest lined up to be rescued by helicopter
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Honeymooners Sam and Alex Chappatte are trapped on Everest in a team being led by Daniel Mazur
Some of the first people being rescued from Mount Everest
HOW RELIEF WORKERS ARE USING PAST EXPERIENCES TO HELP THOSE CAUGHT UP IN THE DISASTER
Dr
Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards at Nottingham Trent
University, said: 'Tectonically active, steep mountainous areas with
high rainfall are amongst the most hazard-prone environments in the
world.
'As
we are seeing, an earthquake can not only cause extensive damage and
loss of life through the direct effects of ground shaking, but also
through secondary impacts such as landslides and avalanches.
'Access
to remote communities will be restricted by landslides and no doubt
helicopters will be in great demand as they were during the 2005 Kashmir
earthquake.
'The
relief effort is gearing up and making use of the 'cluster system',
which is now the basis of international humanitarian coordination in
disasters like that unfolding in Nepal.
'Good
coordination is vital in these kinds of emergencies and clusters are
groups of humanitarian organisations working in sectors of need such as
shelter, logistics, food security and health.
'Clusters
are created when there are numerous humanitarian organisations
operating in a disaster situation and when national authorities need
support.
'The
government of Nepal is leading the response to the earthquake with
support from a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination
(UNDAC) team.
'It
is important that the provision of aid is based on need rather than
capacity and the cluster system was devised to ensure a coherent,
organised approach.'
The
toll is likely to rise as rescuers struggle to reach remote regions in
the impoverished, mountainous country of 28 million people and as bodies
buried under rubble are recovered.
'There
is no electricity, no water. Our main challenge and priority is to
restore electricity and water,' said home ministry official Laxmi Prasad
Dhakal.
'The
next big challenge is the supply of food. Shopkeepers are unable to go
in and open their shops. So people are facing difficulty buying food.'
Several countries rushed to send aid and personnel.
India flew in medical supplies and members of its National Disaster Response Force. China sent a 60-strong emergency team.
Pakistan's army said it was sending four C-130 aircraft with a 30-bed hospital, search and rescue teams and relief supplies.
A
Pentagon spokesman said a U.S. military aircraft with 70 personnel left
the United States on Sunday and was due in Kathmandu on Monday.
Australia,
Britain and New Zealand said they were sending specialist urban
search-and-rescue teams to Kathmandu at Nepal's request.
Britain, which believes several hundred of its nationals are in Nepal, was also delivering supplies and medics.
However,
there has been little sign of international assistance on the ground so
far, with some aid flights prevented from landing by aftershocks that
closed Kathmandu's main airport several times on Sunday.
Facebook has activated its 'Safety Check' feature in response to the earthquake in Nepal.
The
feature, launched in October, allows users to tell friends and family
they are safe if they are in the middle of a disaster area.
Facebook engineers in Japan started development on the feature after the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.
The Kathmandu earthquake is one of the first natural disasters where it has been used.
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Video footage shows climbers emerging from their tents to find the Everest Base Camp flattened
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Rescuers in Nepal are searching frantically for survivors of the huge earthquake, which has killed thousands
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Google, which lost an employee in an avalanche as a result of the earthquake, has activated its own disaster tool called 'Person Finder' and is updating satellite imagery to help with relief efforts.
Google is also donating $1million toward relief efforts, the company said.
The disaster has underlined the woeful state of Nepal's medical facilities.
Nepal
has only 2.1 physicians and 50 hospital beds for every 10,000 people,
according to a 2011 World Health Organization report.
Rajiv
Biswas, Asia Pacific chief economist at business research firm IHS,
said long-term reconstruction costs in Nepal using proper building
standards for an earthquake zone could be more than $5billion (£3.3bn)
or around 20 per cent of the country's GDP.
'With
housing construction standards in Nepal being extremely low... the
impact of the earthquake has been devastating based on initial reports,'
he said in an early analysis of the likely damage.
FOREIGNERS IN NEPAL AT THE TIME OF THE DEADLY EARTHQUAKE
Here
are details released by some foreign governments on citizens who were
in Nepal at the time the earthquake hit on Saturday, killing more than
3,200 people.
The
7.9-magnitude quake struck at midday at a busy time of year for
tourism-reliant Nepal's trekking and climbing season, with an estimated
300,000 foreign tourists in the country, several hundred of those on
Mount Everest.
Countries are listed in alphabetical order.
AUSTRALIA: 549 Australians registered as travelling in Nepal, 200 confirmed safe. No reports of Australian deaths.
AUSTRIA: Around 250 Austrians in Nepal, no reports of any casualties.
BANGLADESH:
Fifty nationals, including members of the country's under-14 girls'
football team, evacuated. No information on exact number of nationals in
Nepal.
BRITAIN: Several hundred Britons believed to be in Nepal. No reports of deaths or injuries.
CHINA:
State news agency Xinhua, quoting the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu,
reports four people confirmed dead and 10 seriously injured. Xinhua said
at least 20 people were killed in Tibet.
COLOMBIA: Seven nationals missing. No reports of any deaths or injuries.
CROATIA: Four tourists, all accounted for.
CZECH REPUBLIC: 155 nationals in Nepal, 54 have not yet been contacted.
ESTONIA:
About 30 Estonians were known to be in Nepal, according to its foreign
ministry. One has been reported dead and four are unaccounted for.
FRANCE: French authorities have located 1,098 nationals, but another 674 are still not in touch. No reports of casualties.
GREECE: Two Greek nationals safe.
INDIA:
Five Indians killed in Nepal, and another 66 in Indian regions over the
border. So far, 1,417 Indians evacuated from Nepal.
INDONESIA: Thirty-four nationals in Nepal, 18 of them residents. Eighteen have not yet been contacted.
IRELAND: About 100 citizens in the affected region. Many have been contacted.
ISRAEL:
About 600 Israelis estimated to be in Nepal. About 400 have been
contacted, most of them sheltering at the embassy in Kathmandu. These
include 25 couples in Nepal to bring home babies born to surrogate
mothers.
ITALY: More than 300 Italians in Nepal have been traced, others not yet contacted.
JAPAN:
Japan's Foreign Ministry said one Japanese man was killed and a woman
was injured. Some 1,100 Japanese living in Nepal are registered with the
embassy, but no information on the number of nationals travelling
through.
LATVIA: Forty-one nationals have been contacted. No reports of injuries.
LITHUANIA: Fifty-five Lithuanian nationals in Nepal, of whom five were not reachable.
MALAYSIA:
Two Malaysians are missing. A team of Malaysian climbers at the Everest
base camp are among those who have been accounted for and are safe.
MEXICO: Twenty-eight Mexican nationals are safe. One missing.
NORWAY: About 150 nationals in Nepal, no reports of any dead or injured.
PAKISTAN: About 30 nationals have been evacuated from Nepal, no information on exact number.
PHILIPPINES: Two Filipino climbers are reported safe.
PORTUGAL: All seven Portuguese known to be in Nepal are safe.
ROMANIA: Twenty-eight Romanians in Nepal, including mountaineer Alex Gavan and three others, all reported to be safe.
RUSSIA: Tass news agency, citing Emergencies Ministry, says no casualties among Russians.
SINGAPORE: No information on the exact number, but the majority of the registered Singaporeans in Nepal have been contacted.
SRI LANKA: Around 100 Sri Lankans have sought help for evacuation. No casualties reported.
SOUTH
KOREA: Three nationals injured in the earthquake. 650 residents and as
many as 1,000 travellers are estimated to have been in Nepal.
SWEDEN: Around 150 Swedes known to be in Nepal, no reports of casualties. Most have been accounted for.
TAIWAN:
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said 179 Taiwanese were in Nepal at the time
of the quake. Of those, 152 had been confirmed safe, the whereabouts of
the other 27 were unknown.
THAILAND: Sixty-six Thais, including six medical students, are reported to be safe.
UNITED STATES: Three Americans killed.
Names of those missing in Nepal begin to emerge
Families
and friends of those in Nepal when the quake struck have been
scrambling for information about their well-being. No Britons have been
confirmed as dead, but the Red Cross has produced a list of those who are still missing.
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Mitchell Carpenter (top), 23, from Aberdeen and Michael Walker from Devon are missing in Nepal following the huge earthquake
The number of Americans missing, meanwhile, has risen to at least 101.
On
Sunday night, new posts were submitted to the missing persons register
for Mendy Losh and Danny Cole, two friend from New York's Crown Heights
district.
Cole,
a father of four, and Losh had planned to embark on a climb up Everest
after arriving in Nepal last week, according to Facebook posts from
their friend Zevi Steinhauser.
A
32-year-old adventurer from Colorado Springs, Andrew Lamar Goggans, is
also missing, as is 62-year-old Beverly Brooks Brown from Biloxi,
Mississippi, and 26-year-old Philadelphia man Benjamin Schneider.
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At least
101 missing Americans: Mendy Losh (top, on the left) and father-of-four
Danny Cole (top, on the right), from Crown Heights in New York, have
been registered missing in Nepal. Aaron Lamar Goggans (bottom), a
32-year-old adventurer from Colorado, is also missing
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Missing: Josh Edwards, 19 (top), and Dawn Lightfoot, 30, (bottom) are among the American citizens still unaccounted for
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Fears:
Michelle Page, 50 (top), and Christine Bedenis are also still missing.
Authorities and charities are struggling to piece together information
to send back to families
A British tourist volunteering at a school in Nepal is among those believed to be safe.
Paula
Nightingale, 45, is said to have escaped serious harm when the
earthquake struck as she was helping out at the Mondo Challenge
Foundation project in Helambu.
Her friends in West Wittering, West Sussex, were anxious for news of the 'kind-hearted chatterbox' following the disaster.
It
finally came the following day when a school trustee sent a tweet
confirming that Ms Nightingale, a former cruise ship director, was safe.
Friend Susie Macmillan said: 'We were pretty frantic, waiting for news.
'Paula
was adopted but both her adoptive parents had died and she doesn't
really have any family so we were worried that nobody would know to look
for her.
'My husband said we would give it a couple days then he would get his backpack on and go looking for her.
'Paula and I have been very close friends for years, and my children all know her as Auntie P.
'We were obviously very concerned, and then the tweet finally came. It was just such a relief.'
An Australian killed in the Mount Everest avalanche, meanwhile, has been named as 49-year-old Melbourne woman Renu Fotedar.
She was killed when the avalanche hit Base Camp.
Trekking
company Dreamers Destination confirmed that Ms Fotedar had been killed
and the company was trying to return her body to Kathmandu.
Ms
Fotedar completed an MBA at the University of Wollongong before setting
up a business in Melbourne in 2005, according to her social media
profile.
