For many Connecticut residents, Nepal might seem to be a world away, but most of the nearly 1,500 natives of Nepal now living here have a connection to this disaster.
In West Hartford on Sunday, dozens of people from the Nepalese community came together and lit candles to outline the image of a country, which is hurting.
“We are gathered here today to show our respect and to show our condolences to all the victims of the earthquake in Nepal yesterday,” Zenith Rai, of West Hartford, said.
The Nepalese Association of Connecticut organized the vigil.
Almost everyone who attended the vigil was affected by the disaster, whether they lost a loved one in Nepal or knew someone whose home was damaged.
Some, including a nurse, are vowing to head there to help.
“What happened in my country is so devastating but I’m willing to go to my country, give my hands to them,” Pramila Subedi, of Windsor Locks, said.
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Many are still waiting to hear if their relatives are OK.
This weekend, they held a moment of silence for all the victims, offered prayers for their homeland, and made plans to do what they can to help.
“I’m going to see if I can get some fundraising at my school to donate money to them so they can get, so they can rebuild. their houses,” Anuj Dahal, of West Hartford, said.
The full scope of the damage is still not clear and rescue work has been difficult with nearly 100 earthquakes and aftershocks.
