Casual Observation

7 Comments

1. 

   Marie2 on April 26, 2015 at 2:16 pm

   2014 Mount Everest avalanche.  

   On 18 April 2014, an avalanche on Mount Everest near Everest Base Camp killed sixteen Nepalese guides.
   …
   On 22 April, the Sherpas announced they would not work on Everest for the remainder of 2014 as a mark of respect for the victims.

   The cancellation of the 2014 season, appears to have created pent up “consumer” demand and increased the number of climbers at the base camp when the earthquake avalanche occurred.

2. 

   Oui on April 26, 2015 at 2:22 pm

   First reports gave a much heavier scale of 7.9 and due to its shallowness of 9 mi. caused heavy damage to historic buildings in Katmandu. The mountain climbers killed and wounded were all near the base camp, an area hit by a massive and devastating avalanche. The climbers at the higher level escaped unscathed, except due to the change in the terrain are isolated and most likely need to be rescued by helicopter. Just a year ago, 16 Nepalese climbers were killed in a horrific day of death on the Himalayas. A poor nation, Katmandu needs the tourists for some economic revenues … this will cause great suffering for years to come.

   Nepal earthquake: Tent cities spring up for the displaced | BBC News |

   The tremor also unleashed avalanches on Mount Everest, which killed at least 17 people and injured 61 others.

   Efforts to dig victims out from under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kathmandu continued. Rescue missions and aid have started arriving to help cope with the aftermath of the worst earthquake to hit Nepal for more than 80 years.

   The situation is still unclear in remote areas which remain cut off or hard to access. The 7.8-magnitude quake struck an area of central Nepal between Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara early on Saturday.

   Renewed panic

   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

   Rubble and landslides

   The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was especially worried about the fate of villages near the epicentre of the quake, some 80km (50 miles) from Kathmandu.

   The problems have been compounded by erratic internet and mobile phone communications. British Red Cross spokeswoman Penny Sims said it was hard to get an accurate picture of what is going on.

   “A lot of the roads are blocked, there’s rubble, there’s been landslides as well… So that is going to make the aid effort very difficult,” she told the BBC.

   Google Exec Dan Fredinburg Dies In Quake-Triggered Avalanche

   ○ More devastation: 6.7 magnitude aftershock earthquake strikes Nepal | RT |
   ○ The largest, a M 8.0 event known as the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake, caused 10,600 casualties

3. 

   Marie2 on April 26, 2015 at 2:28 pm

   Worrisome:

   …The situation is still unclear in remote areas which remain cut off or hard to access.
   …
   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.
   …

   Running during an earthquake is not recommended for those on the left coast, but appears to have been the least bad option in Nepal.

4. 

   Marie2 on April 26, 2015 at 5:18 pm

   MaxBlumenthal twitter

   Israel’s main #NepalQuakeRelief mission: Airlift 24 infants born to Indian surrogate mothers for Israeli parents

5. 

   BooMan on April 26, 2015 at 10:21 pm

   BBC: A fifty story wall of white.

6. 

   on April 26, 2015 at 10:46 pm

   I am not a climber. I am not attracted by the activity.

   However, Everest is the Disneyland of climbing, from what I can tell. You hire porters to carry your stuff. You dump your poop anywhere. You use fixed ropes and ladders.

   Why not just install an escalator and charge “climbers” $100,000 to step on it?

7. 

   tb92 on April 27, 2015 at 1:10 pm

   I don’t understand why we’re so concerned about the few who were on the mountain when there are so many suffering nearby. What makes mountain climbers any more important than everyone else?