Matthew Wojciechowski, an artist who has worked at Bethesda Tattoo Co. for the past two years, is stuck in Nepal after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the country’s capital, Kathmandu, on Saturday.
James Hughes, owner of Bethesda Tattoo, said Tuesday morning that Wojchiechowski and his fiancée, Cynthia Pascal, were OK. He said the two were sheltered inside a luxury hotel when the quake hit.
Wojciechowski had traveled with Pascal to Kathmandu to represent Bethesda Tattoo at a tattoo convention. Hughes said Wojciechowski and Pascal were attending the second day of the convention when the quake struck, but prior to that the couple had been touring the capital’s historic sights.
“They had just been out sightseeing and visiting the landmarks around Kathmandu and now a lot of those are rubble, so we were really scared,” Hughes said.
Upon hearing about the earthquake, Hughes grew concerned and scoured social media, thinking that would be the best way to find news about his friend and co-worker. Over the weekend he found the account of another tattoo artist form Pennsylvania who is with Wojciechowski in Nepal. That artist had written on his Instagram account that they were OK, but had been taken out of the hotel and that it was a chaotic situation.
Hughes said the artists were taken to a camp on the grounds of the U.S. Consulate. Since reading that posting, Hughes hasn’t seen any other updates.
He said Wojciechowski “was really excited” about attending the convention, and left for Nepal on April 19. The quake struck April 25, and the death toll now stands at more than 4,000 people.
Wojciechowski’s father, Ed, told The Washington Post on Monday that he had talked to his son and knows he and his fiancée are safe. According to the Post, Wojciechowski wrote in a message to his father: “We are still safe… staying at a U.S. Compound. Almost no access to wifi so cannot use apps or phone or email. City is really messed up but U.S. Embassy is taking great care of us. Everyone is trying to leave so getting a flight out of here is next to impossible.”
Images from inside the hotel after the quake provided by James Hughes.
