On April 25th, it marked the tenth anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Nepal known as the “4.25” earthquake or the Himalayan earthquake. People in various regions commemorated the day to remember the thousands of lives lost.
Barpak Village in Gorkha District, Nepal, was the epicenter of the “4.25” earthquake. The powerful quake turned this small village at the southern foothills of the Himalayas into ruins, claiming the lives of 74 villagers. Every year on this day, villagers light butter lamps to mourn the deceased.
Notably, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, along with several cabinet ministers and diplomats from various countries, attended a memorial ceremony in the capital city of Kathmandu on the anniversary. Together, they observed a moment of silence for the earthquake victims.
On April 25, 2015, at 11:56 am, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake (with a surface wave magnitude of 8.1) struck Gorkha District, Gandaki Province, Nepal. The epicenter was approximately 80 kilometers northwest of the capital Kathmandu, with a depth of 15 kilometers, classifying it as a shallow earthquake. The energy released was equivalent to 1.4 times that of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China.
According to official statistics from Nepal, the earthquake resulted in the deaths of 9,018 people, with nearly 22,000 injured. About 8 million people were affected, roughly a quarter of Nepal’s population at the time. The earthquake also caused extensive damage to Nepal’s infrastructure and cultural heritage.