By Jeff Brumley
Among the more than 6,000 killed in the April 25 Nepal earthquake are an unknown number of Baptists who died when their church collapsed on top of them, the Baptist World Alliance has reported.
“At least seven Christian church buildings were destroyed or severely damaged,” BWA said in a news release. “Two of these were Baptist church buildings.”
Approximately 144 Christians have been confirmed dead since the quake struck the predominately Hindu nation.
The news release did not offer specifics on where that Baptist church was located. However, other news outlets indicate that Baptists weren’t alone in suffering such a fate.
Christianity Today reported that many churches in Nepal were holding worship services when the 7.8-magnitude quake struck at 11:56 a.m.
An update by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church News Network said that “many Christians were buried while they were worshiping on Sabbath and died.”
The report explained that Saturday is a popular time of worship in Nepal because Sunday is considered a normal workday across the nation.
AsiaNews reported the collapse of a Protestant church in Kathmandu that killed “at least 70 worshipers who were inside at the time of the quake.” The report did not identify the denomination of that church.
Meanwhile, Baptist teams are arriving and joining other agencies in searching for survivors, regardless of religious affiliation.
BWA reported that a team of Baptists from Hungary and North Carolina had arrived in the capital. Earlier this week, North Carolina Baptist Men and Women announced it was partnering with Hungarian Baptists to send assessment teams to Nepal.