UW-Madison students in contact with family and friends in Nepal

Students on the UW-Madison campus are feeling the impact of the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal over the weekend.

About 20 students from Nepal are involved in the UW-Madison Nepal Student Association; and the president of that group, Surendra Prajapati, tells CBS 58 none of those students lost immediate family. However, he says many do know people who died and others have lost homes.

He says while students want to return home to help, they are staying here to finish the semester because finals are two weeks away.

“We don't really know what is going to happen next. There is no electricity. One thing I really fear is the sanitation problem, the health problems that might come as an after event of the earthquake because we don't have a lot of resources right now in Nepal.” said Prajapati

Another Madison group, called the Nepali American Friendship Association, is planning a candlelight vigil to honor the people who died. It will be held at the State Capitol Wednesday at 7:00 pm.

The last earthquake near this size to hit the region was an 8.2 magnitude back in 1934, that quake killed roughly 20,000.