Winnipeg Nepalese community shocked after deadly earthquake
Local Nepalis unite after Nepal earthquake kills nearly 1,400 across 4 countries
Winnipeg's Nepalese community is in shock after a Saturdayearthquake devastated the asian country ofNepal. Nearly 1,400 people are confirmed dead and that number is expected to climb.
The majority of the700 or soNepali natives living in Winnipeg have family or friends in Nepal affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
So far, theNepaliCultural Society ofManitobasaidnone of its members have reportedlosinganyone to the earthquake that also triggered a avalanche on Mount Everest, burying and killing at least 10 climbers in the process. That number is expected to rise as rescue crews scan mountain sides for bodies in the area in the coming days and weeks.
'We were very worried'
Smrita Rajbhandarymoved to Winnipeg nineyears ago but grew upinKathmandu. She said her family in Winnipeg got a call from her brother at 3 a.m. this morning.
"Some of those structures, I played there as a kid," she said."Today, I see some of those structures aren't there anymore. I have a six-year-old and I want him to go there and see those structures. And I don't know if they will be [remade]."
"We were talking and the second or third tremor came back, and then he screamed and then our phones went dead," said Pradhan. "I haven't heard from him after that."
Pradhan said he's going to keep calling his nephew until he gets through.
The Napalese community is meeting again Sunday to plan fundraising efforts.
With files from Lindsay Tsuji