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A group of Canadian trekkers was caught in the earthquake that rocked Nepal Saturday but none of them was seriously harmed.
The 21-member group is in Nepal as part of the Dream Mountains Foundation, which raises money for charities and is led by Ottawa restaurant-owner Shawn Dawson.
Ottawa resident Harry Binks, one of the climbers, said in a phone interview from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu Saturday that the earthquake was powerful.
“It lasted more than a few seconds,” he said.
“The only quakes I’ve been in before were over pretty quickly. But this one went on and on and there were several shocks.”
The earthquake hit just before noon and had a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 — rolling through the Kathmandu Valley, including Kathmandu itself, and then expanding in other directions such as the Himalayas and Tibet.
At least four countries were hit by the quake, which killed more than 1,000 people, most in Nepal, according to reports. Many houses and ancient temples collapsed, and the violent earthquake also triggered avalanches on Mount Everest.
The group of trekkers, which includes CTV host Leanne Cusak, has been training for months for their objective — a 17,500-foot ascent to Everest Base Camp, part way up Mount Everest.
The group arrived in Nepal Friday night. On Saturday, said Binks, they were strolling through the city’s marketplace “doing some relaxing and pre-trek shopping in case anybody needed to get any last minute items.”
“We split up into several different groups. I was with two other women. We were standing in the middle of the street.”
Then the quake hit.
“It was swaying, the street itself.”
Binks was concerned that he might be hurt by falling debris from nearby buildings — all of which are very old and are “incredibly close together.”
But he was not harmed. He said another member of the team, from Huntsville, Ont. was hurt by a falling brick.
“She’s okay. So there’s no real injuries to our team at all. But we were anxious to get out into the open.”
The problem, he said, is that once people in the group got into the open streets, they found them strewn with power lines, possibly still electrically charged.
“Quite frankly, in the middle of an earthquake, when you’re either told to hide under a table or get between a door jam, I don’t know where the safest place to be is. I really don’t.”
Harry Binks of Ottawa was among a group of 21 Canadian trekkers caught in the earthquake in Nepal.
Binks said he and his companions made it back to the modern hotel where the group is staying. Some of the climbers had been in their rooms when the quake hit — swaying the hotel back and forth.
They left their rooms and for a while the hotel asked its guests to remain outside, in the back garden, before being allowed back in.
“We’ve been told that there might be another one tonight, another major quake, but quite frankly we have a feeling they’re just trying to be cautious,” said Binks.
Hours after the quake, Binks was writing regular posts on Facebook to keep friends back home updated about how the group was safe.
“Our prayers are with our Nepali hosts for the safety of their loved ones. In the midst of death and disaster, we are safe, we are together, and we are full of gratitude and love for all of those rooting for us at home.”
He initially wrote that their goal was to still depart later this weekend, en route to Mount Everest, but later added that there would be a team meeting to “discuss options.”
Later, he posted that, “at this point we are a ‘go’.”
“We are truly taking things one step at a time, one event at a time, one moment at a time.”
mkennedy@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/Mark_Kennedy_
查看原文...
The 21-member group is in Nepal as part of the Dream Mountains Foundation, which raises money for charities and is led by Ottawa restaurant-owner Shawn Dawson.
Ottawa resident Harry Binks, one of the climbers, said in a phone interview from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu Saturday that the earthquake was powerful.
“It lasted more than a few seconds,” he said.
“The only quakes I’ve been in before were over pretty quickly. But this one went on and on and there were several shocks.”
The earthquake hit just before noon and had a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 — rolling through the Kathmandu Valley, including Kathmandu itself, and then expanding in other directions such as the Himalayas and Tibet.
At least four countries were hit by the quake, which killed more than 1,000 people, most in Nepal, according to reports. Many houses and ancient temples collapsed, and the violent earthquake also triggered avalanches on Mount Everest.
The group of trekkers, which includes CTV host Leanne Cusak, has been training for months for their objective — a 17,500-foot ascent to Everest Base Camp, part way up Mount Everest.
The group arrived in Nepal Friday night. On Saturday, said Binks, they were strolling through the city’s marketplace “doing some relaxing and pre-trek shopping in case anybody needed to get any last minute items.”
“We split up into several different groups. I was with two other women. We were standing in the middle of the street.”
Then the quake hit.
“It was swaying, the street itself.”
Binks was concerned that he might be hurt by falling debris from nearby buildings — all of which are very old and are “incredibly close together.”
But he was not harmed. He said another member of the team, from Huntsville, Ont. was hurt by a falling brick.
“She’s okay. So there’s no real injuries to our team at all. But we were anxious to get out into the open.”
The problem, he said, is that once people in the group got into the open streets, they found them strewn with power lines, possibly still electrically charged.
“Quite frankly, in the middle of an earthquake, when you’re either told to hide under a table or get between a door jam, I don’t know where the safest place to be is. I really don’t.”
Harry Binks of Ottawa was among a group of 21 Canadian trekkers caught in the earthquake in Nepal.
Binks said he and his companions made it back to the modern hotel where the group is staying. Some of the climbers had been in their rooms when the quake hit — swaying the hotel back and forth.
They left their rooms and for a while the hotel asked its guests to remain outside, in the back garden, before being allowed back in.
“We’ve been told that there might be another one tonight, another major quake, but quite frankly we have a feeling they’re just trying to be cautious,” said Binks.
Hours after the quake, Binks was writing regular posts on Facebook to keep friends back home updated about how the group was safe.
“Our prayers are with our Nepali hosts for the safety of their loved ones. In the midst of death and disaster, we are safe, we are together, and we are full of gratitude and love for all of those rooting for us at home.”
He initially wrote that their goal was to still depart later this weekend, en route to Mount Everest, but later added that there would be a team meeting to “discuss options.”
Later, he posted that, “at this point we are a ‘go’.”
“We are truly taking things one step at a time, one event at a time, one moment at a time.”
mkennedy@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/Mark_Kennedy_
查看原文...
