Nepal marks the second anniversary of earthquake

Nepal on Tuesday marked the second anniversary of a devastating earthquake that killed 9,000 people and made a million homeless.While the government, which has been criticised for the slow pace of rebuilding, did not officially hold any event on Tuesday, communities held memorial services in Kathmandu and several parts of the country.At Kathmandu's Durbar Square, a United Nations World Heritage site where the quake left centuries-old temples and monuments in ruins and killed over 100 people, locals remembered the victims.Around 500 people gathered in the square and vowed to rebuild Kasthamandap Temple, a seventh century temple after which the Nepalese capital was named. Local priests organised a ceremony of worship to try to ensure the success of the rebuilding campaign.Ganapati Lal Shrestha, a spokesman for the community groups, said they were against government rules which allow the lowest bidders to rebuild the heritage site."It's not only our heritage, but also our pride and history. The Kasthamandap Temple withstood many earthquakes before, but collapsed in 2015 because of poor maintenance. We want to take it into our hands so that we can preserve it for posterity," he told DPA.More than 700 temples, monuments and traditional structures were damaged or destroyed in the quake, which wounded 22,000 people.