NEPAL: Nepali media give prominent coverage to Asia quake

A review of major Nepalese dailies' headlines the morning after deadly quake and tsunamis hit Asia

Nepal News
Monday, December 27, 2004

All major dailies on Monday have given prominent coverage of the Asia quake and resulting tidal waves that caused devastating damage in India, Sri Lanka and East Asian countries on Sunday causing nearly 12,000 deaths, according to latest reports.

In its front-page story spread over seven columns under the banner, “Asian apocalypse: Tsunamis kill 9,500,” The Himalayan Times daily quoted news agencies as saying that the world’s most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into coastlines in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

The daily also reported that local people in eastern district of Ilam were worried to see two-meters high waves at the sacred pond of Maipokhari early Sunday. Hundreds of devotees thronged to the pond to offer puja after the incident with the view to preventing any bad omen to the nation, the daily reported.

Under the headline “Tsunami swamps S E Asia,” The Kathmandu Post daily quoted agencies as saying that the worst known death toll so far was in Sri Lanka, where over 3,200 people were killed and a million displaced from wrecked villages.

Sri Lankan government has declared the state of emergency in the country and has called for international help.

Kantipur daily reported that those killed in Chennai were school students playing cricket at the sea beaches. Nepal Samacharpatra daily reported that the Sunday’s quake has affected lives from Singapore and Thailand all the way to Bangladesh.

The US Geological Survey measured the quake at a magnitude of 8.9 Richter scale. The epicenter of the quake was about 1,620 km northwest of Jakarta, off the west coast of Sumatra island of Indonesia.

According to THT, Tsunami is a series of huge waves that happen after an undersea disturbance, such as an earthquake or volcano eruption. They may travel in the open sea as fast as 450 miles per hour, the report said.

Nepal also falls in the quake prone zone and experts have warned that the country stands at great risks from the natural disaster.

Date Posted: 12/27/2004