Scare again: At least 60 killed as powerful earthquake jolts Nepal, over 1500 injured

A rescue worker stands beside buildings that collapsed in an earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Source: AP Photo)

At least 60 people were killed and over 1,500 injured as another powerful earthquake rocked Nepal Tuesday, bringing down buildings and spreading panic less than three weeks after a 7.9 temblor devastated the country and claimed over 8,000 lives.

Across the border in Bihar, at least 15 people were reported dead and over two dozen injured. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said his government had information of 15 deaths but only six had so far been confirmed. As a precautionary measure, the state government announced summer vacation in schools ahead of schedule.

The 7.3 earthquake at 12.35 pm Tuesday was centred near Kodari on Nepal’s border with Tibet. It appeared to have inflicted maximum damage in Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk districts, already reeling from the frequent aftershocks in the wake of the April 25 quake.

In Kathmandu, around 150 people were taken to hospital though it was not clear if all had been injured in the quake and the aftershocks that followed. The constituent assembly building also emptied as panic gripped the city.

Lawmakers were meeting to discuss relief and housing for the April 25 victims when the new quake struck.
The Tribhuvan International Airport closed briefly and flights to Kathmandu were diverted. Authorities also ordered closure of schools for two weeks and advised people to spend time in the open.

Preliminary reports spoke of extensive loss of life and property in Solukhumbu district on the Everest trail in Sagarmatha zone.

Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre said it was sending helicopters and medical teams to Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk. Indian Air Force helicopters are already in Nepal, dropping relief material and evacuating people from mountain districts outside the Kathmandu Valley.

Indian and US military personnel transported 40 people, some severely wounded, from Dolakha to the Military Hospital in Kathmandu.

Sources in the Home Ministry said 33 people died in Dolakha, 110 km from Kathmandu, followed by nine in Sindhupalchowk.

According to Reuters, Medecins Sans Frontieres emergency coordinator Dan Sermand said the village of Charikot near the epicentre had suffered the worst damage of the three villages the organisation had surveyed by helicopter. An IAF team brought 11 injured people to Kathmandu from Charikot.

A PTI report said a woman was killed and two other persons were injured near the Nepal border in Tibet. All three were in a car that was hit by falling rocks in Gyirong.
In Bihar, the disaster management control room confirmed three deaths in Samastipur and one each in Patna, Darbhanga and Siwan.

A worker was killed in Danapur when a wall under construction collapsed. As tremors were felt, people fled from homes and offices, and remained in the open for hours.

CCTV footage from malls and departmental stores showed people running for cover.The Patna Secretariat too emptied as staff left office rooms.

Until evening, the Veterinary College grounds, Rajdhani Vatika and Gandhi Maidan were full of people. “We want to spend the night in the open. They say there will be more aftershocks in the next 48 hours,” Rekha Kumari, a resident of Jagdeo Path, said.

Source:: Indian Express