Free Republic

The family of mountaineering great, the late Sir Edmund Hillary, say he'd be horrified and saddened by the devastating earthquake in Nepal. New Zealand and Nepal have developed a close relationship over the years, mainly through the work of Sir Ed. His son, Peter, was in Nepal when the powerful magnitude 7.8 quake struck on Saturday evening New Zealand time. The quake, centered outside the capital, Kathmandu, killed more than 1,900 people and destroyed infrastructure, homes and historical buildings. Images of Nepal in ruins would have devastated Sir Ed. To us he was the mountaineer who conquered Mt Everest, but...

A 32-year-old doctor who specialises in Himalayan archaeology was said to be “absolutely terrified” and incredibly shaken after narrowly avoiding death in the devastating earthquake. Hayley Saul, from Northampton, had left Langtang village in Kathmandu just two hours before it was completely wiped out in the quake. As the disaster hit, she was trekking with her friend and a guide, en route to Lama Hotel, the next village on the trail. Her sister, Emma Price, 24, said: “She had just left Langtang village and that village has gone now. The path they were trekking on had gone and they had...

When the earthquake hit, many of Nepal's most renowned pagodas in and around Kathmandu crumbled into rubble-covered stumps. Others were smothered under splintered hand-carved wooden beams or multi-level rooftops. But the Kathmandu Valley's other pagodas, stupas and shrines -- also built mostly of red brick hundreds of years ago -- suffered surprisingly little damage and remained standing next to structures which disappeared.

EAST ORANGE, N.J. -- A physician's assistant from New Jersey was among those killed in the earthquake in Nepal. Marisa Eve Girawong had been working in Nepal for a company called Madison Mountaineering that posted the news of her death on its website. East Orange hospital, where Girawong used to work, issued a statement offering sympathy and prayers to both her family and the people of Nepal. Seattle-based Madison Mountaineering said that Girawong died in the aftermath of the avalanche that struck the climbers' base camp.

Olga Dadykina, who has been trekking the Himalayas for the last two months, became stranded in the Nepalese village of Namche Bazaar, at 3,440 meters above sea level. She shared her experience with Sputnik News in an exclusive interview. ..... The village of Namche Bazaar had another strong tremor on Sunday. All buildings remain closed; people are left without shelter. Smaller tremors and quakes continue.

Relief efforts in Nepal are intensifying after more than 2,000 people were killed in the worst earthquake there in more than 80 years. Rescue missions and aid material have started arriving in the country. Seventeen people have been killed on Mount Everest by avalanches - the mountain's worst-ever disaster. Meanwhile a powerful aftershock was felt on Sunday in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, and more avalanches were reported near Everest. The 6.7-magnitude tremor, centred 60km (40 miles) east of Nepal's capital Kathmandu, sent people running in panic for open ground in the city. As military helicopters hovered over Kathmandu and ferried...

- BREAKING NEWS - KATHMANDU REGION HIT WITH MAGNITUDE 6.7 AFTERSHOCK [No further details, yet.]

By Joel Leyden Israel News AgencyJerusalem, Israel — April 25, 2015 … Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following the lethal earthquake in Nepal and nearby areas, held an assessment of the situation, via telephone, with Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Israel Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. It was agreed to dispatch – as soon as possible – a rescue delegation including medical support. The humanitarian delegation will land near the affected zone and make its preparations until it becomes possible to land in Nepal. Israelis in the affected zone will receive the means necessary to return to Israel. The Prime...

The popular Boudhanath Stupa has also developed major cracks, said witnesses. Photos of the destroyed structure is being circulated on the internet and messages of support and condolence pour in from all over the world. Many Tibetans have expressed their solidarity with the people of Nepal on their facebook pages.

Script will not allow me to copy and paste text.

The iconic Swayambhunath stupa in Kathmandu was relatively lucky in the aftermath of the devastating Nepal earthquake. Only one person was killed in the area though the earthquake shook the entire structure and reduced old houses, small shops and smaller temples in and around the complex to rubble within 15 seconds. Pilgrims and tourists were shocked at first and ran for the exit. As the entire structure shaked vigorously, people were thrown in different directions, while others struggled to get back on their feet. Some got stuck under the debris, and when they were pulled out by people nearby, their...

Early reports from witnesses suggest Katmandu’s backpacker haunt Thamel was largely undamaged by the massive earthquake that hit Nepal on Saturday. People reached by phone in the neighborhood said that while many of the buildings in Thamel were cracked, only a few older buildings had collapsed. A magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck near the Nepali capital, Katmandu, just before noon on Saturday, causing widespread damage and killing more than 90 people, authorities said.

Climbers on Mount Everest ran for their lives on Saturday when a massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal and set off at least one avalanche. At least eight people died and more than two dozen were injured in the avalanche on the world's highest mountain, according to The Associated Press. Jelle Veyt was just getting back to base camp when suddenly the earth "shook for a couple of seconds — badly," the Belgian climber told NBC News. A sherpa just a few feet ahead turned and pointed behind him, Veyt recalled, saying he then turned around himself and saw a "huge...

An avalanche triggered by a deadly earthquake in Nepal on Saturday buried a part of the base camp for climbers bound for Mount Everest, killing at least eight people, Nepal's tourism ministry said. "The toll could go up, it may include foreigners as well as sherpas," tourism official Gyanendra Shrestha said.

Saturday’s earthquake has triggered avalanches in Mount Everest according to a Tweet posted by Alex Gavan, a mountaineer. He claims, “running for life from my tent” and further says there were “many, many” people up the mountain at the time. Alex Gavan, who describes himself as a mountaineer, said a “huge avalanche” had hit from Pumori, a mountain lying close to Mount Everest on the Nepal-Tibet border.

BREAKING NEWS – At least 71 people died after a powerful magnitude-7.9 earthquake shook Nepal’s capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley around noon Saturday, Nepal's Home Ministry says. Sky News also reports that at least 50 people are trapped underneath rubble of the city’s iconic Dharahara Tower, one of Kathmandu’s landmarks built by Nepal’s royal rulers in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized historical monument.

A 7.9 magnitude earthquake has struck Nepal less than 50 miles from the capital, Kathmandu, the U.S. Geological Survey said Saturday. It occurred at a depth of less than two miles, which is considered shallow. The USGS previously rated the temblor at 7.5 magnitude but later upgraded the strength.

Just experienced a 4.1 shaker located on the east shore of Lake Pend Oreille here in north Idaho at 7:32 PM PST. We were shaken, but not stirred. Noticed one brief almost imperceptable aftershock.

Full title.....Gold Mine: Hillary Clinton’s Brother Granted Super-Rare Mining Permit from Haiti After State Dept. Sent Country Billions Hillary Rodham Clinton’s brother, Tony Rodham, sat on the board of a self-described mining company that in 2012 received one of only two “gold exploitation permits” from the Haitian government—the first issued in over 50 years. The tiny North Carolina company, VCS Mining, also included on its board Bill Clinton’s co-chair of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), former Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. The Rodham gold mine revelation is just one of dozens featured in a forthcoming bombshell investigative book by...

Abandoning years of official skepticism, Oklahoma’s government on Tuesday embraced a scientific consensus that earthquakes rocking the state are largely caused by the underground disposal of billions of barrels of wastewater from oil and gas wells.The state’s energy and environment cabinet introduced a website detailing the evidence behind that conclusion Tuesday, including links to expert studies of Oklahoma’s quakes. The site includes an interactive map that plots not only earthquake locations, but also the sites of more than 3,000 active wastewater-injection wells.The website coincided with a statement by the state-run Oklahoma Geological Survey that it “considers it very likely” that...