Severe Earthquake Has Shifted Kathmandu 'Several Meters South'

The United Nations reports that the devastating earthquake in Nepal has disrupted the lives of eight million people. The organization states that over 1.4 million people are in need of food. The earthquake has affected eight million lives across 39 districts, with more than two million of them residing in 11 severely impacted areas. There are also warnings about shortages of water and shelter. According to expert estimates, the powerful earthquake has shifted the location of the country's capital, moving Kathmandu several meters south. Meanwhile, the death toll from the deadliest earthquake in the country in the past 80 years continues to rise. As rescue teams have been trying to reach villages and towns outside the capital in recent hours, the number of victims has exceeded 4,300 in Nepal and 4,430 across three countries (including India and China). French news agency AFP quotes James Jackson, a tectonics expert at Cambridge University, stating that based on studies from the university, Kathmandu has been pushed three meters south due to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Saturday. Similar research at the University of Adelaide has reached the same conclusion. On Monday, international aid groups finally managed to reach Nepal. At the same time, severe aftershocks following the main earthquake have exacerbated the destruction and damage. The Nepali Times reports that nearly all citizens of the capital spent the past nights in the streets, fearing aftershocks and sleeping outdoors. AFP reports from experts that aftershocks may continue for months. Reuters quotes a group of citizens in Kathmandu expressing their dissatisfaction with the current situation and the government's response. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia, and officials have emphasized that they were caught off guard by the severity of the earthquake. The Secretary of the Nepal Public Services Council has called on countries around the world to provide aid and medical personnel to his country, stating, 'We urgently need foreign expertise to get through this crisis.'