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Mount Everest May Have Shrunk Due To The Earthquake: Satellite Data Analysis

Mount Everest May Have Shrunk Due To The Earthquake: Satellite Data Analysis
In this Saturday, April 11, 2015 photo, tents are seen set up for climbers on the Khumbu Glacier, with Mount Khumbutse, center, and Khumbu Icefall, right, seen in background, at Everest Base Camp in Nepal. More medical staff has been placed at Mount Everest's base camp, and the government has set up a full-time office tent at the camp, with officials providing security, settling disputes among climbers and monitoring the activities of the hundreds of climbers and guides at the camp. Climbers from four teams have already been issued permits allowing them to climb the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak, another 11 written applications are pending and more applications are expected in the next few days, said Gyanendra Shrestha, an official at Nepal's Mountaineering Department. (AP Photo/Tashi Sherpa)
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In this Saturday, April 11, 2015 photo, tents are seen set up for climbers on the Khumbu Glacier, with Mount Khumbutse, center, and Khumbu Icefall, right, seen in background, at Everest Base Camp in Nepal. More medical staff has been placed at Mount Everest's base camp, and the government has set up a full-time office tent at the camp, with officials providing security, settling disputes among climbers and monitoring the activities of the hundreds of climbers and guides at the camp. Climbers from four teams have already been issued permits allowing them to climb the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak, another 11 written applications are pending and more applications are expected in the next few days, said Gyanendra Shrestha, an official at Nepal's Mountaineering Department. (AP Photo/Tashi Sherpa)

KATHMANDU — The devastating earthquake that has rocked Nepal not only killed thousands but may have also shrunk the height of the world's tallest peak - Mount Everest - by about 2.5 cm, according to analysis of satellite data.

The first good view of the aftermath of Nepal's deadly earthquake from a satellite showed that a broad swath of ground near Kathmandu lifted vertically, by about 1 metre, which could explain why damage in the city was so severe.

The data also indicated the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, got a wee bit shorter, Live Science reported.

The new information comes from Europe's Sentinel-1A radar satellite.

Scientists are racing to interpret the Sentinel data, which were made available last week just hours after the satellite passed over Nepal.

The devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25 has claimed over 7,500 lives and injured another 16,390 people.

The Home Ministry said that a total of 2,79,234 houses have been completely damaged and 2,37,068 partially damaged due to the quake.

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