Situation of Tibetans in Nepal after the Recent Earthquake

April 28, 2015 1:21 pm
DHARAMSHALA: According to reports received from the Office of Tibet, Kathmandu, Nepal on 27 April 2015, there has been much damage to property and minimum loss of lives of Tibetans in Nepal as a result of the recent earthquake.
As the telephone and net services are down because of the major earthquake and several aftershocks, the following report is what the Office of Tibet has gathered and gleaned from reports from various settlement offices spread across Nepal.
Solokhumbu/ Walung/ Rasogiri
According to the information sent by the Settlement Officer of these three regions, the wall of the public kitchen in Deling Solokhumbu settlement has cracked; otherwise there are no other major damages to life and property.
In upper Solokhumbu, a house has collapsed. Complete information is still not available.
In Rasogiri, a wall in the school building and house has cracked. No loss of lives has been reported so far.
The Office of Tibet has not been able to contact Tibetans in Walung region, which is at the border of Nepal and Tibet.
Kathmandu/ Swayambhu/ Lo-tserok
According to the information sent by the Settlement Officer and others from these regions, several walls of Tibetan homes in Lo-Tserok settlement have cracked. Cracks in the fields and agricultural lands have also been reported.
In Swayambhu, the red building near the Swayambhu stupa has not sustained any serious damage. However, a building had collapsed in nearby Kimtrol where two Tibetan brothers are staying in a rented room. One of them has died while the other has received severe injuries and is currently admitted in a hospital.
Boudha/ Jorpati
According to the information sent by the Settlement Officer and others in Boudha and Jorpati, a building housing 37 Tibetan families had sustained severe damages and is in danger of collapsing.
A 30-year-old Tibetan named Chime from Boudha has died after walls collapsed on him during the earthquake. Many people from Boudha have also reported damages to their homes and rented houses.
Libing Sendrak Rinpoche’s monastery had also sustained severe damage. Most of the monk’s quarters in the monastery have reported damages. However, there has been no loss of lives or injuries.
Many nunneries in the area have also reported damages. One nun has died in the earthquake while three nuns have sustained severe injuries and three others have reported minor injuries. Fortunately, Snow Lion Foundation’s medical aid team led by Mr. Sonam Tsering was on a visit to the monastery at that time, and doctors are currently treating the injured.
Pokhra
The Office of Tibet has not been able to contact the settlement office in Pokhra. However, private sources have confirmed that there wasn’t any loss of lives or major damages to property.
Jwalakhel Tibetan handicraft settlement
The main office of the Jwalakhel Tibetan handicraft center has sustained damages as a result of the earthquake. Moreover, the boundary walls of the settlement have cracked. However, no loss of lives has been reported.
Frontier Tibetan settlements in Dothang, Manang, Tsum, Nubri

The Office of Tibet has been unable to contact the Tibetan settlements and families residing in frontier regions like Dothang, Manang, Tsum and Nubri.
Office of Tibet, Kathmandu
The old staff quarters have developed major cracks and the pathway to the office is blocked with debris after walls from one side of the road collapsed.
(Almost all Tibetans in Nepal are currently staying in tents outside of their homes in open areas. People are still unable to go back to their homes fearing more aftershocks of the earthquake)