Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

Fresh 6.7 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Nepal, Tremors Across North India

New Delhi:  Fresh tremors were felt today across north and east India, a day after a quake devastated Nepal and affected parts of India. The aftershocks measured 6.7 in the Richter scale according to United States Geological Survey -- the epicenter was Kodari, around 80 km east of Kathmandu.

Soon after, the defence ministry, which is helping with the relief and rescue operations in Nepal, suspended vehicular and air traffic there. "All movement to Kathmandu kept on hold till 16.00 (4 pm) due to fresh tremors in Nepal," tweeted a spokesperson of the Defence ministry.

The Kathmandu airport shut down as the air traffic controllers evacuated. The IndiGo, SpiceJet flights that were to land in Kathmandu, were turned back. Private airlines had resumed flights to Kathmandu this morning.

In India, besides Delhi, the tremors were also felt in Lucknow and Jaipur. And in Bihar, where 45 people died in yesterday’s earthquake, the tremors wre pronounced and went on for several minutes.

In Delhi and Kolkata, metro services were stopped temporarily.

Climber Jim Davidson said he felt the aftershock at the Camp One on Everest. "Just had our biggest aftershock yet here at C1 on Everest. Smaller than original quake but glacier shook & avalanches," he tweeted.

Giving details of the aftershocks, GL Gautam, director of the Indian Meteorological Department, said, "More aftershocks will follow... This will continue for weeks... northern India would not face much of a problem."

Yesterday’s earthquake, which measured 7.9 on Richter scale, killed more than 2,000 people in Nepal and 53 in India and led to widespread devastation.

Thousands of people were displaced in Nepal, roads developed huge cracks, old buildings were flattened. The aftershocks remained mild, but panic-stricken people spent the night under the open sky.

The worst quake to hit the Himalayan country in 80 years, also triggered a deadly avalanche that buried a part of the base camp for climbers bound for Mount Everest. Seventeen bodies have been recovered so far; 61 people have been injured.

Nepal Earthquake Kills Over 1800 People; More Than 40 Dead in India

April 26, 2015 08:38 IST

Kathmandu/New Delhi:  More than 1,800 people have died and over 4,700 people have been injured in a massive earthquake of 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale which hit large parts of Nepal on Saturday, news agency Reuters said quoting a home ministry official.

 The earthquake, the worst to hit the Himalayan country in 80 years, also triggered a deadly avalanche that buried a part of the base camp for climbers bound for Mount Everest. Seventeen bodies have been recovered so far; 61 people have been injured.

More than 40 people have been killed in India where major tremors were felt for nearly a minute across large swathes in the northern region including Delhi.

 After a high-level meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, relief and rescue teams have been dispatched to Nepal. Over 500 Indians have been rescued from Nepal and were brought back to Delhi in Air Force planes.

 The Nepal government has urged nations to send aid and braced for the toll to rise after rescuers overnight were hampered by strong aftershocks, blocked highways and a lack of equipment. People used their hands in many places to dig for survivors.

 Authorities also scrambled to provide shelter in the capital, Kathmandu, for thousands of people who spent the night outside in freezing temperatures and patchy rain, too afraid to return to their damaged homes.

 Hospitals across the nation of 28 million people struggled to cope with the disaster. Kathmandu’s Bir Hospital had received 300 to 350 patients with serious injuries through Saturday, and most of them died, said paramedic Dinesh Chaudhary. He said the hospital was procuring medicines from shops outside.

 At daybreak on Sunday, people milled about in parks and streets in Kathmandu strewn with rubble. The earthquake struck at midday on Saturday at a busy time of year for the tourism-reliant country’s trekking and climbing season, with an estimated 300,000 foreign tourists in the country.

Indian Embassy in Nepal has set up helpline: +977-9851107021, +977-9851135141

 The External Affairs Ministry too has opened a 24-hour control room: +91-11-23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905

Air Force Planes Rescue Over 500 Indians From Earthquake-Hit Nepal

New Delhi:  Over 500 passengers including many infants arrived in Delhi by Air Force planes late last night and in the early hours today after being evacuated from Nepal, which has been devastated by a 7.9 magnitude earthquake. The quake on Saturday morning, which has killed over 1,800 people, caused massive damage in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu with strong tremors felt across large swathes of Northern India for nearly a minute.

Here are the latest developments:

1The first Indian Air Force plane to arrive from Kathmandu was a C-130J Super Hercules carrying 55 passengers, including four infants, at around 10:45 p.m, followed by a C-17 Globemaster III, a little after midnight with 101 passengers and an infant. In the early hours today, an IL-76 aircraft brought back 152 passengers. Soon after - around 4.45 a.m - another C-17 Globemaster III returned with 247 Indians.

2"Ten flights are planned for Kathmandu today. These would be airlifting army forward hospitals, engineering task forces, water, food, National Disaster Response Force teams, medical personnel and equipment, blankets and tents," said Sitanshu Kar, the spokesperson for the defence ministry.

3The government has also pressed into service five Mi17 choppers of the Indian Air Force which landed in Kathmandu a short while ago to aid in rescue and relief efforts.

4An under-14 girls’ football team from India, stuck in Kathmandu, will be evacuated "on priority," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted this morning.
5Over 300 have died in Kathmandu, the police said. Two Indians are among those killed, reports news agency Press Trust of India.

6In India, over 40 people have died - 32 in Bihar, 11 in Uttar Pradesh and two in West Bengal, where 40 children were also injured when a part of their school collapsed in West Bengal’s Malda. In Bihar, 133 people are injured.

717 bodies have been recovered at the base camp of Mount Everest which was hit by an avalanche triggered by the deadly earthquake. 61 people have also been injured.

8Rescuers in Nepal struggled as they dug with their bare hands and bodies piled up. Authorities also scrambled to provide shelter in the capital, Kathmandu, for thousands of people who spent the night outside in freezing temperatures and patchy rain, too afraid to return to their damaged homes. Internet is down, television is not working and parts of Kathmandu have no electricity.

9The Indian embassy in Nepal has some damage, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said. The daughter of a staff member has died, the ministry said. The Ministry of External Affairs has set up a 24-hour control room. Indians stranded in Kathmandu who want to get in touch with their families in India can contact the embassy in Kathmandu controlroom@mea.gov.in.

10The quake was epicentred 81 kilometres northwest of Kathmandu, with walls crumbling and families racing outside of their homes. Initially measured at 7.5 magnitude, the quake was later adjusted to 7.9, with a depth of 15 kilometres.

Massive 7.9 Magnitude Earthquake in Nepal, Tremors Across Northern India

New Delhi:  Massive tremors lasting well over a minute were felt across northern India after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal this morning.

 Tremors were felt across eastern and northern parts of India, said JL Gautam, Head Operations Seismology of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

 The quake struck 81 kilometres northwest of Kathmandu at 11:41 am. Initially measured at 7.5 magnitude, the quake was later adjusted to 7.9, with a depth of 15 kilometres, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. It hit 68 kilometres east of the tourist town of Pokhara.

 In Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region, people were seen running out of their houses after buildings shook for well over a minute. However, there are no reports of any damage in Delhi.

 Tremors were also felt in Patna, Lucknow, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Nagpur and other cities.

 Nearly half an hour after the first tremors, aftershocks were felt again around 12:20 pm across North India.The quake has caused huge damage in various parts of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. Roads have caved in and some buildings have collapsed.

Mobile services have been hit in Nepal; Kathmandu airport too has been closed, say reports.

Working to Reach Out to Those Affected, Tweets PM Modi After Massive Earthquake

New Delhi:  After termors were felt across India after 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal this morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government is trying to reach out to those affected. The Prime Minister has also called for a high-level meeting this afternoon to discuss situation emerging due to earthquake.

Earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred today at 11.41 AM between latitude 28.1 North and Longitude 84.6 East. The epicentre was located in Nepal," an IMD statement said.

In Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region, people were seen running out of their houses after buildings shook for well over a minute. However, there are no reports of any damage in Delhi.

Tremors were also felt in Patna, Lucknow, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh and other cities.
Nearly half an hour after the first tremors, aftershocks were felt again around 12:20 pm across North India.