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The April 25 quake measured 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale, the largest since the 1934 Bihar quake, which measured 8.2 and killed around 10,000 people. Another quake in Kashmir in 2005, measuring 7.6, killed around 80,000 people.

These quakes are a dramatic manifestation of the ongoing convergence between the Indo-Australian and Asian tectonic plates that has progressively built the Himalayas over the last 50 million years. 

Nepal, one of the world's poorest and least developed countries, will not recover from the disaster quickly, which will take a toll on its infrastructure, tourism, and overall economic picture

 The country attracts about 1 million foreigners annually, ranging from mountaineers scaling the icy peaks to tourists who want to visit the World Heritage sites. Tourism, which contributes about 5 percent to GDP, will be largely affected. It was the worst seismic activity to hit the country in 81 years.

Source: www.rt.com, www.bbc.com