Nepal Earthquake: Shocks Terrify Survivors; Death Toll Climbs To 2,500

Buildings collapsing in earthquake are seen at the Durbar Square in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, April 25, 2015. An 8.1-magnitude earthquake and a 7.0-magnitude aftershock stuck Nepal on Saturday, leaving 1,805 people dead and 4,718 others injured. (AP/Xinhua)

With people fearing more quakes, tens of thousands spent the day crowding in the streets and the night sleeping in parks or on a golf course. Others camped in open squares lined by cracked buildings and piles of rubble. Helicopter blades thudded periodically overhead.

Crows screeched as the ground shook with the worst of the aftershocks – magnitude 6.7. Panicked residents raced outdoors.

”We don’t feel safe at all. There have been so many aftershocks. It doesn’t stop,” said Rajendra Dhungana, 34, who spent the day with his niece’s family for her cremation at the Pashuputi Nath Temple in Katmandu. ”I’ve watched hundreds of bodies burn. I never thought I’d see so many … Nepal should learn a lesson from this. They should realize proper buildings should be built. There should be open spaces people can run to.”

By late Sunday, the aftershocks appeared to be weakening. A magnitude 5.3 quake shook an area east of Kathmandu.

Nepal authorities said Sunday that at least 2,430 people died in that country alone, not including the 18 dead in the avalanche. Another 61 people died from the quake in India and a few in other neighboring countries.
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