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June 2015 back issue
by Gavin Gough
A major earthquake measuring 7.8 hit Nepal shortly before mid-day on Saturday, 25th April, 2015. The initial shock
caused extensive damage, resulting in the deaths of over 8,000 people and injury to more than 19,000. Entire villages
were flattened and hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless. The UNESCO World Heritage sites in
Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan were badly damaged with many ancient temples reduced to rubble.
In the first two weeks after the April earthquake, I worked on assignment in Nepal, documenting the destruction in and
around the Kathmandu Valley, meeting survivors who were desperately searching through the rubble, hoping to salvage
what they could from the ruined remains of their homes. Neighbours climbed onto the precarious ruins, helping each
other to sift through the precarious piles of wood and brick. Many of the homeless were forced to seek shelter beneath
tarpaulins and plastic sheeting in makeshift camps.
The scale of the damage and destruction in Nepal has been worsened by hundreds of subsequent aftershocks,
including a second major earthquake, measuring 7.3, on 12th May, 2015. Rescue efforts have been hampered by the
mountainous terrain and lack of immediate access to aid will continue to create challenges for those left homeless by
the disaster.
Much has been lost forever and the process of rebuilding will take many years.
All images copyright © Gavin Gough. All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.
Evidence of the damage caused by the April earthquake is clear to see in the rubble-strewn streets of Bhaktapur,
outside Kathmandu.
Survivors began to clear away debris from damaged buildings in the days immediately after the April earthquake.
Survivors survey the damage to their homes and begin to salvage what they can from the rubble.
Survivors climb onto the precarious remains of damaged buildings to try and salvage family possessions from the
rubble.
A Nepalese woman walking through streets covered in the debris from fallen buildings.
Lubina Lama sustained broken bones in both her legs when she was trapped beneath falling rubble during the April
earthquake.
Lubina Lama, aged 7, holds her grandmother's hand inside an ambulance on the way to an emergency field hospital
for treatment. Lubina sustained broken bones in her legs when trapped beneath falling rubble in the April earthquake.
Lubina Lama, aged 7, cries in pain before treatment at a hospital. Lubina sustained injuries to her hips and legs during
the April earthquake.
A boy pushes a bicycle past the rubble of fallen buildings as soldiers from the Nepalese army walk through the heavily
damaged city of Bhaktapur.
A Nepalese woman surveys damage to her neighbourhood in the city of Bhaktapur.
A Nepalese woman carries family possessions from her home after it was destroyed during the April earthquake.
A couple survey the damage to their home in Bhaktapur after the earthquake.
A man and woman walk through the rubble of fallen
homes.
Survivors of the earthquake shelter beneath tarpaulins
after their homes were destroyed.
A boy packs family possessions into a box after his family home was destroyed. Families salvaged what belongings
they could find before moving into temporary camps or heading out of the city in search of alternative accommodation.
A young boy helps the rescue effort by removing bricks from a temple destroyed at the UNESCO World Heritage Site
in Patan.
As the sun sets, rescuers continue to search through the rubble of a temple at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
A boy picks through the rubble of damaged buildings.
Seven year-old Rabina stands beside the rubble from buildings destroyed and damaged by the earthquake.
