Aftershock Everest and the Nepal Earthquake is a documentary series released on Netflix on 6th October. It is directed by Olly Lambert, with series producer Natasha Zinni and executive producer Liesel Evans. There are 3 episodes in this limited series with a runtime of about 38-58 minutes respectively.
It tells the first-hand account of the events in 2015 surrounding the devastating earthquake that, with a magnitude of 7.6 and its epicentre merely 30 miles outside the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, cost the lives of 9000 people. It left almost 3.5 million people homeless. The people who survived everything at its peak, tell us their experiences.
-Aftershock Everest and the Nepal Earthquake Review Contain Spoilers-
The three-part series starts off with recorded footage of an Everest climber at Khumbu Icefall, which is set to be one of the most dangerous routes to the summit. As the trekker is about to go forward, they see an avalanche of thick sheets of snow and rocks, coming down towards them and sweeping away anything in sight.
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Even reaching the base camp is difficult enough for mountain climbers, with various crevasses and shifting glaciers. And to be stuck there in the middle of a dangerous track and limited to almost no resources, is a living nightmare. Through this series, the creators introduce us to the survivors who were on their way to the Everest Summit.
Apart from them, we get the perspective of tourists in other parts of Nepal like the nearby Langtang valley and the locals living there. And another account of a local citizen and his family in the capital city of Kathmandu. They tell us how they were going by their day, doing things they usually do, without realising that their every action leads them to either their death or a chance of surviving.
The trekkers at the base camp were highly motivated to reach their goal, which also included some of the newbie trekkers, who had challenged themselves to do something grand and meaningful in their lives. Meanwhile, three Israeli military friends decide to go to Langtang Valley to catch the beautiful landscapes and get to know the culture.
The villagers in the valley were in the midst of their ceremony which is held after 49 days after someone’s death. It represents the end of the Buddhist mourning period of 49 days, after which the bereaved family returns to normal life and the spirit of the dead to the afterlife. So the whole village was at the temple, which goes on till the next afternoon.
But little did they know that this would be the last ever thing they will be doing. While the Israeli friends decided to trek ahead, the earthquake triggered a huge avalanche in the Langtang valley, where 250 people were reported missing. The place where the houses stood now remains barren with no sign of any civilisation ever living there.
Their one decision to go ahead saved their lives and the same thing is told by many other survivors, how their last-minute decisions turned out to be lifesavers.
Summing Up: Aftershock Everest and the Nepal Earthquake
If you have seen other disaster-based fictional movies, then you know there are ought to be a lot of drama, apart from the fight for survival. This real-life story is no different as well. Human nature is such that it always thinks about itself first and there are very few kind souls that emerge as leaders in difficult situations.
Be it the trekker still wanting to continue the trek to the top because they spent a lot of money on it, and going back would be like throwing it in the trash; or the survivors who took the money from a dead person’s stuff. In various situations, we are met with different aspects of human nature and how we deal with our numerous thoughts and act on the right one, is what makes the difference.
Even if you haven’t been in a life-or-death situation, it is not difficult to comprehend how shaken everyone must have felt. We can only empathise with their loss and also consider why such a big tragedy occurred and how it could be avoided from becoming such a large-scale disaster in future.
Aftershock Everest and the Nepal Earthquake is streaming on Netflix.
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Those Israeli men’s actions were disgusting, shocking and inhumane. Normally, people help each other in these situations. I guess their mentality is worse than cockroach.
Totally agree
Absolutely disgusting and how they tried to justify their actions and couldn’t see anything wrong with their actions
Shameful
The fact that the Israeli’s felt that what they did was not wrong and defended Yaar’s actions. Disgusting.
Israelis everywhere they go claim their intentions were good but fail miserably. The think everything on earth belong to them or somehow god’s favorite ppl can justify their actions. Just crazy disgusting.
My stomach churned, watching this. I am so angry with those disgusting, thieving, pigs.
As an Irish woman, there is NOTHING worse than robbing the dead.
I don’t even believe that poor woman they found on the ridge was dead. They left here there, with a blanket but she’s dead, yeah right. Bunch of scum, to do what you did. The people suffering and you guys go abs break a lock , to steal from a dead man. FOR SHAME! YOU WERE RAISED WORSE THAN A DOG.
May all who lost their loved ones, rest in Peace.
And then the ego driven dick, who still insisted he climb Everest, even though PTSD, shock and death was all around?
That Australian with her camera, talking about an indiscretion! No, you stupid dope, they STOLE from the dead!
This whole thing shows how some humans are exploitative SCUM.
I don’t understand why Israelis behaved so badly. And I am an American Israeli.
I’m just kind of shook at how all the tourists basically acted like someone just rained on their parade or tried to take advantage of a horrible and sad moment for Nepal. The Israeli’s were thieves, the woman taking photos rather than doing literally anything to help, and the American still trying to get his money’s worth and make it to the summit…just pathetic, couldn’t believe what I was watching.
Jews stealing money? Surprise?
How do the Israelis in this documentary dared to go and speak loudly of how terrible they behaved without a shade of shame lr an apology. “They eyes of the enemy”, “the guy on the yellow jacket” (after you have been for days stranded with them you did not even asked names? You guys were the enemy of the whole community trying to survive a natural disaster! “Poor me, I feel in danger and I need to be rescued first than anybody else” to go back home to my intact families, guess what!?!? The people around you were trying to mourn be act that their whole family and town was gone!!!! Complete assholes those guys.
Amen.
Could not watch this past the part where they told about the woman who “died” conveniently when things were getting tough. I bet those israelis just coerced the others to leave her there “we’ll leave a blanket and tell someone in Langtang to come get her”.
Absolutely disgusting.
Really bad attiitude and behaviour shown by israelis in such a crisis towards their fellow human beings . Also to think they have some justifications for disrespecting the dead just shows how inhumane some people can be. Really disgusted by those israelis..shame on you people.
Completely infuriating, what terrible men.
Words can not even describe how terrible those Israelis men are. Every sentence they spoken and every choice they in a such a horrible disaster is just unforgivable. So disturbing that men could be so short sighted, selfish and immature. Ugh shame on them.
Israelis like to take things that don’t belong to them, like Palestinian land
Those guys were total scum for stealing from the dead villagers and a special place in hell awaits them. Totally void of moral conscience or a shred of human decency. Too bad they werent killed in the avalanche.
Based on these Israeli men’s actions, one can understand the horror that Palestinians are facing. Every single Israeli has this outlook on life- they do wrong then act victim. Shameful. Now the world can see them for who they are
Hope the world sees them for who they truly are!
Strange. Every comment here is anti-Israeli. Every single one. Not one person acknowledges the selfishness of the guy with HIV, the stupendous selfishness of the Iranian/American woman Sara. She continued to pay vast amounts to climb peaks. Or the heroism of the hotel ownerr who devoted his life to helping the homeless. Or even the Israeli peacemaker in the helicopter. Nope. Just plain anti-Israeli anti-semitism.
Holy moly! What were any of these idiots thinking? Who breaks into some poor dead persons locked possessions? And the American loser trying to continue climbing? What a tool!
I don’t care how scared those Israeli guys said they were– they should’ve had the awareness to know they were privileged interlopers and being militarily trained, should’ve been trying to help the locals instead of playing victims.
What a bullshit story the one guy had “oh, I think the box might’ve been open”… really? What a dick!
Also- why didn’t they have any crampons? They could’ve saved that poor woman if they’d had enough sense to bring those.
I’ve trekked in Nepal as well, you always bring those– for exactly that reason– crossing snowy avalanche fields. Dumbasses!
Going to get water and food and returning with money. You can’t eat the banknotes.
I was hewartbreaking to watch and even more heartbreaking to listen. I became even more sad, after reading the comment section.
What I saw is the mirror: the mirror of who some of us are and what can be be hidden inside of us, human-like animals.