Nepal witnessed a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25th April and a 7.3 quake on 12th May, the worst natural disasters since 1900 in terms of number of dead, population affected and economic losses (A). The earthquakes killed more than 9,000 people and affected at least 8 million. Economic losses are estimated between 3.86 billion US$ and indirect losses and macroeconomic effects to 10 billion US$, half of the GDP of the country (19.3 billion US$ in 2013).
The first quake (25th April) was the most devastating, triggering landslides and avalanches in the mountainous areas, and destroying remote villages. The magnitude of the earthquake is similar to the earthquake that shook the country in 1934, 80 years ago.