Fresh quake kills 50 in Nepal, 19 in India

Kathmandu/New Delhi: At least 50 people were killed and 1,129 were injured when a massive earthquake shook Nepal and north India on Tuesday causing panic in the Himalayan nation which was still recovering from the devastating April 25 temblor. Ninteen people were killed in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Cracked buildings collapsed in a heap of debris and landslides cut off roads as an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale hit Nepal, with its epicentre not far from Mount Everest -- the world's highest peak at 8,848 metres. Nineteen people were killed in Dolakha, five in Sindhupalchowk, four in Kathmandu, two in Sindhuli and one each in Lalitpur, Sunsari, Rauthat, Dhanusa and Sarlahi, Nepal home ministry spokesperson Laxmi Prasad Dhakal said.

Terrified people ran out of homes and offices to open spaces and parks as the buildings began to shake due to the tremors. Six strong aftershocks followed in quick succession. Four of the aftershocks had their epicentre at Kodari on the Nepal-China border, north-east of Kathmandu, and the strongest aftershock measured 6.3 on the Richter scale.

India Meteorological Department chief L S Rathore said the aftershocks could well continue for a few more weeks and months. The tremors were felt across India for over 30 seconds, leaving at least eight people dead in Bihar and two in Uttar Pradesh. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was put on alert for rescue and relief operations. The tremors were also felt in Delhi, Patna, Lucknow, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Jaipur.