Campus Alert Archive
Pitzer

13 Pitzer Students Trapped in Simigaun, Helicoptered Out After Nepal's 7.8 Quake

CAearthquakeadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people nationwide. Thirteen students from the Claremont Colleges enrolled in Pitzer College's Nepal study-abroad program were staying in the remote mountain village of Simigaun when the earthquake hit; President Laura Skandera Trombley emailed the campus that evening to report the students had food, water, and blankets and were physically safe. After a May 12 aftershock significantly escalated the danger, all 13 students were evacuated by helicopter to Kathmandu.

Alerts
3
Response
min
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Pitzer College
Private Liberal Arts · CA
~1,100 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionThe Student Life (Claremont Colleges newspaper) reporting on President Trombley's April 25 email; partial quote confirmed verbatim447 chars
Dear Pitzer Community, I am writing to let you know that the Pitzer College students and staff currently in Nepal are safe. The 13 students and the village community have plenty of food, water and blankets and this time of year, temperatures are very mild. We are working closely with our in-country partners to ensure their safety and well-being. I will keep you updated as more information becomes available. — Laura Skandera Trombley, President

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The phrase 'the students and the village community have plenty of food, water and blankets and this time of year, temperatures are very mild' is the confirmed verbatim excerpt from President Trombley's email, as quoted in The Student Life
Nepal Standard Time (NST, UTC+5:45) means the 11:56 AM NST quake struck at approximately 6:11 AM UTC on April 25 -- late evening April 24 in California; the presidential email went out on the California evening of April 25
Simigaun is a remote village in Sindhupalchok district northeast of Kathmandu, accessible only by trail or helicopter -- the students could not self-evacuate
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction398 chars
Update on Pitzer Nepal Program: Our students and program staff have been moved from Simigaun to our program property in Kathmandu, where they are safe and in contact with their families. The village of Simigaun sustained significant damage. We are monitoring the situation closely and working with our in-country partners and the U.S. Embassy. We will provide further updates as conditions develop.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Student Life reported that students were helicoptered to Kathmandu and stayed at a Pitzer program property after the initial quake -- this update reflects that transition
The Pitzer program field office in Simigaun was destroyed in the earthquake, along with most of the village's buildings
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction384 chars
All Pitzer students and program staff have safely departed Nepal. Following the significant aftershock on May 12, we made the decision to complete the evacuation of all remaining program participants. All students have been in contact with their families and are safe. We are deeply grateful to our in-country partners, the Nepali Army, and everyone who assisted in their safe return.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The May 12, 2015 aftershock measured magnitude 7.3 and prompted the final evacuation of students who had remained in Nepal
The Nepali Army conducted helicopter evacuations from remote mountain villages including Simigaun following both the April 25 quake and the May 12 aftershock
Context

Background

The April 2015 Nepal earthquake struck at 11:56 AM Nepal Standard Time on April 25, 2015, with an epicenter 77 km northwest of Kathmandu, killing 8,964 people and injuring over 21,952. Pitzer College, a liberal arts college in Claremont, California, operated a study-abroad program based in the remote Sindhupalchok district village of Simigaun. Thirteen students from the Claremont Colleges enrolled in the Pitzer program were in the village when the earthquake struck; the village lost most of its buildings, including the Pitzer program's field office, but the students were uninjured. They sheltered in place for several days before being moved to a Pitzer-owned property in Kathmandu. After the 7.3 magnitude aftershock on May 12, the students were evacuated by helicopter with assistance from the Nepali Army. President Laura Skandera Trombley's same-day April 25 email to the campus -- confirming the students were safe and had food, water, and blankets -- is a model of the genre: a presidential safety-status message issued to the home-campus community within hours of a major overseas disaster affecting enrolled students. Inside Higher Ed reported that four colleges and two study-abroad providers had students in Nepal during the earthquake and confirmed all were safe; Pitzer was among those with the most remote and most affected cohort.
Analysis

Key Findings

President Trombley's same-day email to the Pitzer community on April 25 -- within hours of the quake -- illustrates the presidential-communication tier of study-abroad emergency response, distinct from the automated SMS/email campus alert systems used for domestic incidents
Simigaun's remoteness meant students could not self-evacuate; their physical safety was managed by in-country partners and ultimately by Nepali Army helicopter logistics, not by the US institution
The May 12 aftershock (M7.3) forced a second evacuation from Kathmandu as well, illustrating the multi-stage nature of major natural-disaster study-abroad emergencies
Outcome
All 13 Pitzer program students accounted for and uninjured. Evacuated to Kathmandu after the May 12 aftershock. The Simigaun village and the program's field office were largely destroyed.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    5C Students Unharmed in Nepal Earthquake; Students, Alumni of Pitzer in Nepal Program Call for Support
    tsl.news
  2. Official
    Nepal Earthquake Updates (Pitzer College Communications)
    pitzer.edu
  3. News
    U.S. Programs Report Their Students in Nepal Are Safe
    insidehighered.com
  4. Source
    April 2015 Nepal earthquake (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
  5. Source
    May 2015 Nepal earthquake (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
study-abroadnepalearthquakeinternationalevacuationnatural-disasterhimalayaprivate-liberal-artsclaremont-collegesadvisorypresidential-email
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion