--- description: TIME contract photographer James Nachtwey reports from the quake-devastated country title: James Nachtwey's Dispatches from Nepal image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3631292d7343b06d/6987ee21cd6848500209dd79/james-nachtwey-nepal-13.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # James Nachtwey's Dispatches From Nepal by [James Nachtwey](/author/james-nachtwey/) ## James Nachtwey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 8, 2015 4:01 AM CUT  A shadow is reflected on the remains of a collapsed house in the largely destroyed village of Sankhu on the outskirts of Katmandu, May 1, 2015. A shadow is reflected on the remains of a collapsed house in the largely destroyed village of Sankhu on the outskirts of Katmandu, May 1, 2015.James Nachtwey for TIME by [James Nachtwey](/author/james-nachtwey/) ## James Nachtwey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 8, 2015 4:01 AM CUT _This is the first part in a two-part series of dispatches filed by TIME contract photographer James Nachtwey from Nepal, days after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated parts of the central Asian country._ [_Read part two_](http://time.com/3859137 "undefined")_._ The journey began at the end. With the death toll rising, the funeral pyres at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu were consuming the mortal remains of the dead in a seemingly endless procession of ritualized grief, acceptance and farewell. So that the dead might be washed before cremation, stone steps led down to the Bagmati River, its waters clouded and filled with debris, much like the river of life. Ashes to ashes. Nepal is a place I’ve long wanted to visit, not so much as a journalist, but to see the mountains and the temples. Now, many of the temples have been destroyed, and the mountains have become the backdrop to an epic tragedy. In Bhaktapur, a few miles outside Katmandu, as the aftershocks subsided; people began to dig out by hand what was left of their possessions, with a sense of practicality and a lack of complaint. Rescue teams continued to search for the missing, holding onto the unlikely hope for survivors. The cruel dynamic of an earthquake transforms the walls and beams of peoples’ homes into the instrument that kills them. Stone deities and sacred symbols were also crushed beneath the weight of fallen temples, testifying to the unity of gods and men. Flying in helicopter relief missions run by the Indian Army clearly showed the extreme difficulty of reaching the hundreds of destroyed villages. Landslides cut off the few villages reachable by road, leaving people to fend for themselves; isolated on steep hillsides that have been carved into cascading agricultural terraces. In the town of Sankhu the scene was similar to Bhaktapur – urban dwellers, living in multiple story buildings searching in mountains of rubble for what might be saved from what had become their lives after the earthquake of 2015. I would go on from the cities to see what had happened in the remote countryside. [**_James Nachtwey_**](http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/ "undefined") _is a TIME contract photographer, documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues._  Bodies are prepared for cremation during a Hindu ritual at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu on April 28, 2015, three days after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated Nepal, killing at least 7,000 people and causing untold damage. James Nachtwey for TIME  During funeral rites in Kathmandu on April 28, 2015, women mourn for loved ones killed in the earthquake. James Nachtwey for TIME  A man performs a Hindu cremation ritual at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, April 28, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  A man sorts through the wreckage of destroyed homes in the ancient city of Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu, April 28, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  Residents search through the debris in Bhaktapur, April 28, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  A body is found in the wreckage in Bhaktapur, April 29, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  Nepal's 7.8 magnitude earthquake has caused massive destruction of historical temples and palaces like this ancient and sacred site in Bhaktapur, April 29, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  Destroyed farming villages are seen from a helicopter during an Indian Army relief mission to Nepal’s remote Nuwakot District, April 30, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  After being airlifted from a remote village to Kathmandu, an injured woman is carried to receive care, April 30, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  Villagers sort through rubble in Sankhu, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, May 1, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  Residents look through wreckage in the town of Sankhu, which was largely destroyed in the earthquake, May 1, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME  A shadow is reflected on the remains of a collapsed house in the largely destroyed village of Sankhu on the outskirts of Katmandu, May 1, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3844923/james-nachtweys-dispatches-from-nepal/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3844923/james-nachtweys-dispatches-from-nepal/"},"headline":"James Nachtwey's Dispatches From Nepal","datePublished":"2015-05-08T04:01:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:40:15.734Z","description":"TIME contract photographer James Nachtwey reports from the quake-devastated country","url":"https://time.com/3844923/james-nachtweys-dispatches-from-nepal/","keywords":["LightBox","photography","Nepal","Kathmandu","portfolio","James Nachtwey","Nepal Earthquake topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3631292d7343b06d/6987ee21cd6848500209dd79/james-nachtwey-nepal-13.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Nachtwey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/james-nachtwey/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3631292d7343b06d/6987ee21cd6848500209dd79/james-nachtwey-nepal-13.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"James-Nachtwey-nepal-13","caption":"Nepal earthquake. Town of Sankhu. Mush of town was destroyed. People digging out their possessions. by James Nachtwey","creditText":"James Nachtwey for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3844923/james-nachtweys-dispatches-from-nepal/","name":"James Nachtwey's Dispatches From Nepal"}}]}] ```