The world shook on Saturday, April 25, as a massive earthquake struck the country of Nepal.
It is the worst earthquake to hit the country in over 80 years. Nepal is located on the Indo-Australian plate that pushed beneath the Eurasian plate. The collision of the plates is what caused tension and then ultimately caused the earthquake. The earthquake measured at a magnitude of a 7.8. The Huffington Post reported that scientists have been expecting this big of an earthquake to hit for weeks, they even predicted the exact location.
The death toll has now exceeded 5,000, according to CNN. Officials are warning that the death toll is going to rise quickly as the rescue search continues through Nepal. More than 10,000 people have been injured and many people are also reported to have been killed in neighboring countries such as China and India.
Mount Everest also took a toll, with over 200 climbers having to be rescued after a massive avalanche, and at least 18 climbers passing away. When the skies cleared up helicopters were able to fly in and rescue more climbers from the mountain. In some towns, more than 70 percent of the homes are completely destroyed, and other towns have been entirely flattened.
The capital city, Kathmandu, has a multitude of “spring-up” tents for their residents that are not able to return to their homes or are too afraid because the aftershocks have yet to end. An aftershock of a 6.7 magnitude was recorded on Sunday, causing even more damage to Nepal. The main roads in Nepal are starting to clear up, so rescuers can make their way through the country. Rescue missions are coming in from all over the world to help Nepal.
