Luke 21:7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?” Luke 21:11 "There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and epidemics in many lands, and there will be terrifying things (that which strikes terror), and great miraculous signs in the heavens."
Stories of tragedy from Nepal continue to make their way out of the devastated region. The latest involves one family that lost 18 members in the quake when a house fell in upon them.
Shankar Pradhan shared his story with the Associated Press as he stood by a funeral pyre for the members of his family. He had just finished pouring holy water on the feet and lips of his 21-year-old daughter who died in the quake. She was inside the four-story home of Shankar’s brother when it fell.
“I don’t know why this happened. But I don’t blame anyone. I don’t blame the government, I don’t blame the gods,” he said, struggling to fight back tears. “You can’t escape the rules of this life. None of us escape the fact that one day you’ll have to leave it.”
The family had gathered inside the home to prepare for the start of a weeklong prayer session for peace and safety.
Krishna Lal Shrestha, who was inside the home at the time of the quake decorating a four foot tall marble temple with flowers, said the quake struck violently causing him to be thrown to the ground. He tried to crawl back to save relatives but a wave of the quake threw him out the door and to safety.
He had to watch helplessly in horror as the floors collapsed one by one on top of each other.
The family said that the death toll would have been significantly higher if the quake struck an hour later when over 100 relatives were expected to be at the home.
Rescue efforts into the region are still being hampered although some of the villages next to the capital were able to get food and water. One town 40 miles from the capital, Sipa Ghat, was reported by the Wall Street Journal to still be without any relief at all including food and clean drinking water.
“We are trying to send rescue teams. We are trying our best to clear the roads,” said Kamal Singh Bam, a spokesman for Nepal’s national police. “There is a problem with distribution to people who are not in Katmandu.”
The situation is still critical in the capital as doctors say they are running out of medication and medical supplies.
