NASA Contributes to Rescue Efforts in Nepal After Devastating Earthquake

NASA is contributing assets from its Earth Sciences Division to assist Nepal, following the tragic earthquake that struck the country last Saturday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — NASA is currently partnering with other US government agencies, non-governmental organizations and private sector partners to provide the Nepalese government with critical satellite data to aid in the rescue efforts.

“One of the reasons that President [Barack] Obama has made it a priority to invest in NASA’s Earth Science initiatives is so that once disaster strikes, we have the tools in place to respond quickly and effectively — and to save lives,”  NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a Friday press release.

“We’re providing assessments of damage to infrastructure; tracking remote areas that may be a challenge for relief workers to reach, as well as areas that could be at risk for landslides, river damming, floods and avalanches,” according to the NASA press release.

On April 25, 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal resulting in mass human suffering and devastating thousands of villages across the country. More than 6,000 persons are reported to be dead, more than 14,000 injured and thousands are unaccounted for.