I was very sorry to see the horrible tragedy unfolding in Nepal

due to an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected.

Nepal quake kills more than 1,000 and spreads terror on Everest: Hundreds die in Kathmandu rubble, while avalanches on Everest trap tourists and climbers

More than a thousand people were killed by a powerful earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday. The earthquake – which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale – wrecked houses, levelled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mount Everest. At least 18 people were killed on the mountain, and hundreds of tourists and guides are now trapped or buried in snow and ice there as rescue parties struggle to reach them.

One climber, Alex Gavan, tweeted that he had to run for his life after an avalanche struck Everest’s base camp and reported that many had died and many more were badly injured. He appealed for urgent help to save those hurt. Mohan Krishna Sapkota, a government official, also appealed for help for Nepal. “We are facing a tremendous crisis here and it is hard to even assess what the death toll and the extent of damage could be,” he said.