DHAKA: Hundreds of Nepalis gathered on Monday at the ruins of a 19th-century tower in Kathmandu to mark one month since a devastating earthquake killed more than 8,600 people in the Himalayan nation.

The quake, which was followed by a second major tremor on May 12, brought down buildings across the country including historic temples, monuments and the much-loved Dharahara tower as tourists and locals climbed its more than 200 steps.

After the national anthem played on loudspeakers, crowds surrounded the crumbled tower and observed 56 seconds of silence at 11.56am, the moment the 7.8-magnitude quake ripped through Nepal on April 25.

Nina Shrestha, a 23-year-old student carrying a small Nepali flag, said the nine-storey tower was ‘always the first thing’ she looked for when flying into Kathmandu.

‘Its collapse signifies the devastation our country has suffered,’ she told the media, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 2104 HRS, MAY 25, 2015
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