<p>Emergency workers and volunteers carry a victim away from a collapsed temple in Basantapur Durbar Square on April 25, 2015 in Kathmandu, Nepal, after a devastating earthquake.</p>

Emergency workers and volunteers carry a victim away from a collapsed temple in Basantapur Durbar Square on April 25, 2015 in Kathmandu, Nepal, after a devastating earthquake.

Photograph by Omar Havana/Getty

Powerful Photos Show Enduring Devastation of Nepal Earthquakes

The earthquakes that killed thousands last year have left many homeless and struggling today.

A year ago Monday, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Nepal, causing the deaths of nearly 9,000 people, injuring 22,000, and forcing more than one million to lose their homes. At least 120 aftershocks followed.

Less than a month later, on May 12, a 7.3-magnitude quake hit eastern Nepal, near Everest. More than 100 people were killed and thousands were injured.

The quakes damaged many of the country's historic sites, from temples to monuments. That included four World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley.

Since then, Nepal has struggled to rebuild. Some 800,000 buildings were damaged by the quakes, and many remain covered with temporary tarps or are simply uninhabitable. Many villages remain devastated, and tens of thousands of people lack basic services.

Spain-based photographer Omar Havana was living in Nepal when the earthquakes struck and his images of the aftermath were published widely. Since then he has spent considerable time in the country, documenting the slow struggle toward recovery, through his book project Endurance (support it on Kickstarter).

"The Nepali people were given a lesson on life, but the world did not care anymore," Havana says of the country's ongoing struggles. "Football matches and famous people were occupying more space in media than the fight of a country against the devastation of Mother Earth."

Read This Next

Is banning fishing bad for fishermen? Not in this marine reserve
SeaWorld allegedly violated the Animal Welfare Act. Why is it still open?
'World’s worst shipwreck' was bloodier than we thought

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet