Nepal was rocked by two earthquakes on Saturday April 25 and Sunday April 26. The first earthquake has measured at a 7.8 magnitude, the second reached a 6.7. The results have been devastating.

Over 4,600 deaths have been confirmed, 9,000 known injuries, and over 8 million struggling Nepalese. These numbers are climbing every day.

“The long term effects of this earthquake will most likely be a down turn in the Mepalese economy due to the tourist industry stopping for a number of years. I myself was supposed to go to Nepal on the 25^th. It is a blessing that I was not there but I realize now how much this will hurt Nepal,”  2014 graduate Matthew Rickert said.

Centuries old historical buildings have been destroyed. Among these are the Dharahara Tower, Swayambhunath temple complex, and Bhaktapar Durbar Square.

“The monuments and temples will be rebuilt, mainly using the same materials as before. It is the hope of the general historic community that improvements are made to structural integrity of the temples as the buildings are built, but the first thing is saving what remains,” Art history teacher Katherine Ferguson said.

Nepal’s undeveloped industrial system has led to complications with the rescue. Roads and electricity are only common in the capital of Katmandu. In addition, the rugged terrain and poor weather has made sophisticated relief efforts nearly impossible.

The largest difficulty lays with the Mt. Everest climbers where an avalanche occurred. Four Americans died in the snow avalanche. All climbs have been canceled for the rest of the season.

16 nations have pledged support as well as various aid groups including the Red Cross.

   Source: CNN News and BBC