Nepal reopens historic tower toppled by earthquake

Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Oli waves towards the media during the inauguration of Dharahara tower, in Kathmandu, yesterday.

Nepal yesterday inaugurated a replica of a historic tower that collapsed in a devastating 2015 earthquake, a day before the disaster’s sixth anniversary. The 19th-century, nine-storey Dharahara tower, a major tourist attraction, was among buildings which crumbled in the 7.8-magnitude quake that killed nearly 9,000 people. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli inaugurated the new 23-storey, 84-metre (276-foot) white tower, built next to the rubble of the original, by raining flowers from the top-floor balcony. “Dharahara is linked to our feelings, pride, past and history,” the prime minister said. Two underground floors have also been built, to hold a museum about the quake. The tower had already been rebuilt once, after a 1934 earthquake. More than 50 people were killed when the original 50-metre tower – known for its views across the capital – fell in 2015. The new tower is part of a huge national reconstruction programme.