KATHMANDU, APRIL 25

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has offered tributes to those who lost their lives in the 2015 earthquake and its subsequent aftershocks.

The Gorkha earthquake with its epicentre at Barpak in Gorkha district rattled the country on 25 April 2015 killing around 9,000 and injuring thousands of people.

'Although the quake killed thousands of people and destroyed structures, it has failed to topple the tower of national dignity,' the president said in a message today, adding that 'The post-quake reconstruction works initiated by the National Reconstruction Authority had neared its final stage.'

Today commemorates the sixth anniversary of the Gorkha earthquake.

'Reconstruction of many damaged public and private buildings, houses, temples and monasteries is under way and completion of important heritages like Rani Pokhari, Durbar High School, Dasharath Stadium and Dharahara is praiseworthy,' she said.

She extended thanks to those civil servants, skilled workers and donor agencies who worked relentlessly under the reconstruction campaign.

'We are at high risk of disasters such as flooding and landslides given the geographical topography of the country. In view of such vulnerability, we need to build eco-friendly infrastructure to cope with disasters. I want to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to construct strong and quake-resilient structures in line with the building code, ' added President Bhandari.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 26, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.