Exactly two years ago today, a massive earthquake of local magnitude 7.6 had rattled Nepal, leaving more than 9,000 dead and thousands of others injured.
Millions of lives were affected by the disaster as thousands of physical infrastructures collapsed or sustained significant damages.
Spanish freelance photojournalist Omar Havana was in Nepal during the 2015 earthquake.
Some of his photos of the quake were chosen among the best of the year by international magazines and media, such as The Atlantic and The Denver Post.
His photos from Nepal have been published in thousands of publications around the world, including on the front pages of The New York Times and stories in TIME Magazine, National Geographic and Paris Match, among many others.
Havana has recently launched a photo book ‘Endurance’ as “a tribute to the people of Nepal after the earthquake” compiling his photographs that he captured on the day of earthquake and its aftermath.
He had selected 72 best photos for the book from around 15,000 he had from the quake.
Here are some selected pictures from his book:
Jetin Shrestha (13) and his younger sister play in their neighbourhood on July 04, 2015 in Bhaktapur of Nepal. Jetin is one of the millions of children affected by the earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25, 2015. He was playing football near his school, where he studies at grade 7. When the earthquake struck, he stood and did not shake; he did not know what happened, and when the earth stopped moving, Jetin played again. “I love Cristiano Ronaldo, I love Real Madrid. I want to play for Real Madrid one day, because I love football,” he says. Photographer Omar Havana and Portugal-based journalist Margarida Mota made it their mission to track down contacts for Ronaldo in hopes the superstar would send a special note to Jetin. They were successful as Margarida spoke to Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes and they were able to deliver the shirt to Jetin today. It reads: “Jetin, be strong, best wishes. Cristiano Ronaldo”. Photo by Omar Havana
A group of men pull on a rope attached to the roof of a damaged house in order to demolish it in a square of Bhaktapur in Nepal where all the houses were destroyed or damaged during the April 25 earthquake, as seen on July 04, 2015. Neighbours around the country work together to clean the debris and to bring down houses that were damaged during the earthquake. Putting their lives at risk, the population of the areas affected by the earthquake have taken the initiative to start the reconstruction after the passivity of the Government of Nepal. Using basic tools, they clear debris, and save those material that they can reuse to build their new homes. According to United Nations, more than half a million houses were destroyed or damaged during the earthquake. Photo by Omar Havana
A woman fills water in her containers inside a house destroyed by the April 25 earthquake, in Bhaktapur of Nepal, in July 2015. Photo by Omar Havana
A young boy crosses a square where all the houses collapsed or were destroyed by the earthquake that hit the country on April 25, 2015, on his way to school in Bhaktapur, Nepal on July 20, 2015. Months after the earthquake, rebuilding is still far from starting. Bhaktapur is one of the historic cities situated in the Kathmandu Valley. The city was heavily affected by the earthquake and hundreds of families lost everything, but life is returning to normality. According to UNICEF, more than 25,000 classrooms in more than 8,000 schools were damaged or destroyed during the earthquake, and thousands of children are still attending schools in temporary learning centres. Photo by Omar Havana
Patients affected by spinal cord injuries during the earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25, 2015 attend rehabilitation in the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre on July 22, 2015 in Kavre, Nepal. According to Handicap International, more than 65% of the people injured during the earthquake suffered fractures and 12% suffered injuries of the spinal cord. With statistics from before the earthquake indicating that somewhere between 7 and 10% of the population in Nepal was living with a disability of some form, it is likely that the injuries caused by the earthquake will increase that percentage significantly, leaving an even higher proportion of the population in need of assistance, yet unable to fully access many services. Photo by Omar Havana
