BySandy Rashty, Sandy Rashty
1 min read
BySandy Rashty, Sandy Rashty
A British Jewish teacher from London who has been travelling around Nepal has described the fear he experienced when the second big earthquake hit the region this morning.
Simon Warner, 28, decided to stay in Nepal after the first earthquake hit the country last month, killing 8,000 people.
But now, he has “had enough” and is looking to book a flight home this week.
Mr Warner, a former JFS and Hasmonean student, was sitting in a café in Pokhara, the third largest city in Nepal, when the 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck this morning.
He recalled: “The ground started shaking – after-shakes from the last earthquake are relatively common.
I saw a woman had fainted. People surrounded her, but were unsure of what to do.
“But then the shaking became stronger and people started running into the streets, so I ran with them.
“I was keeping an eye on the buildings above to see whether anything was falling.
“People were scared, shouting. Women were crying.
“Many people were on the streets, then another earthquake happened about 30 minutes later. People started running again. I was in a café – I ran again.
“I saw a woman had fainted. People surrounded her, but were unsure of what to do. I put her in the recovery position, waited with her for about 20 minutes. She came to after a while.
“The ambulance was nowhere to be seen. I don’t even know if there are ambulances here.”
He added: “It is made more scary by the lack of knowledge of what to do. People just started running and panicking.”
Mr Warner, an English teacher, originally intended to fly back to Britain in June.
Speaking to the IDF Nepal rescue delegation that arrived back in Israel this morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "You helped 1,600 wounded people and brought new life with at least eight births. You have shown the true face of Israel- a country that values life."
He suggested that the delegation might have to return to the region: "I am certain that you are already prepared for your next mission where ever that may be and according to the news, the next mission may already be upon us. I said to the ambassador from Nepal a few minutes ago that we are ready to help with all our capabilities even now," he said. "The world is gradually learning they have someone to count on."
According to the Nepalese government, at least 29 people have been killed and 1,006 injured in today’s natural disaster.
