By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter
Nepali expatriates in Qatar spent anxious moments throughout yesterday as they desperately tried to get in touch with family members and relatives in the south Asian country, where a massive earthquake left more than a thousand dead.
An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck Nepal and the impact was felt across the region, with several people dying in neighbouring countries, including India, as well.
Many of the Nepalese whom Gulf Times contacted said they had no clue about the whereabouts or condition of their near and dear ones, particularly in far-flung villages and remote areas, as communication lines were down in large parts of the Himalayan country. They mostly relied on reports appearing on TV channels and news portals to learn about the latest situation there.
Those who managed to get information from acquaintances in villages were left shocked by the scale of the disaster.
Indra Thapa, who works as an assistant at a store on Najma Street, comes from Pokhara, which was close to the epicentre of yesterday’s quake. He repeatedly tried to contact his relatives and could barely manage to speak to them once or twice. “There were some deaths not very far from my neighbourhood and terrible damage was caused to many shops and houses, including some under-construction buildings,” he said.
Though there was no report of any casualties in his immediate neighbourhood, there were multiple deaths in some households a little bit away from Thapa’s house, it was learnt.
Senior community activist and entrepreneur Dr Dev Kaji Dangol was talking to his brother in Kathmandu when the earthquake took place. “For about a minute, I could not make out what was happening at the other end,” recollected Dr Dangol, who later learnt that mobile lines to his country were disrupted.
The surroundings of Kathmandu’s historic Dharahara Tower, a nine-storied built in 1832 that was reduced to rubble in the earthquake, were badly hit and dozens of lives were lost in its immediate neighbourhood, according to Dr Dangol. Along with many old multi-storied houses, several shops were also destroyed in the area.
Dr Dangol said the area was thronged daily by thousands of tourists visiting Nepal from early in the morning.
The brother of a long-time Doha resident informed his relatives in Qatar that most people in their neighbourhood ran out of their homes for safety and were waiting outside without any clue. “Almost everyone is taking shelter in open areas in the city, which are getting more crowded as hours passed after the earthquake,” she said, quoting her brother. She also sent some WhatsApp images from Kathmandu to her friends.
Another expatriate, Shafeeq Mohamed, said he received information that his elder brother’s left leg suffered multiple injuries after falling from a cycle in the impact of the quake. Shafeeq is a supervisor at a building materials shop in Doha.
His colleague Deb Raj, too, had a similar story to tell. “My house, which was rebuilt only a year ago, has been badly damaged,” said a visibly shaken Deb Raj.
