NEW DELHI: Four earthquakes shook devastated Nepal in quick succession today, sending terrified residents running onto the streets in the capital of Kathmandu; large tremors were felt across Northern India, including Delhi at about 12.35 pm. (Track Live Updates)
Nepalese patients are carried out of a hospital after huge earthquakes hit the country on Tuesday. (Agence France-Presse)
Home Ministry spokesperson K S Dhatwalia said that India was hit by two near-simultaneous earthquakes with epicentres in Nepal and Afghanistan.
In Delhi, buildings shook and office workers were evacuated. People rushed out of their homes and offices in cities like Gurgaon near Delhi.The metro service in the capital was halted for a few minutes. Two people are reported killed in Bihar, which borders Nepal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top officials to review the situation. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that emergency relief teams are on standby. "India is ready to provide all the support which Nepal would require," the minister told reporters.
Four people are reported dead in the Nepali town of Chautara, capital of Sindhupalchowk district, which suffered the heaviest death toll in last month's 7.9 magnitude quake which killed 8,000 people. Several buildings have reportedly collapsed in Kathmandu.
The largest of the four quakes that shook Nepal today was measured at 7.3 on the Richter Scale; its epicentre was between Kathmandu and Mount Everest, according to the US Geological Survey. The airport in Kathmandu was shut down.
Whole villages were destroyed in the April 25 quake in Nepal while large parts of Kathmandu were destroyed, leaving nearly 18,000 people injured and tens of thousands homeless. Nearly 80 people had died in Bengal and Bihar.
Like April's earthquake, today's was shallow - 15 km deep. Shallow quakes are more deadly because the amount of energy released is focused over a smaller area.
Helpline Numbers:
Indian Embassy in Kathmandu: +977 985-110-7021, +977 985-113-5141
Source:NDTV
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