Another 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Nepa again on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 and rescue work has already began to help the over 1,000 people who were injured in the earthquake and to find victims and survivors and at least 48 people have died and 17 others have died in India.
A US aid helicopter was also reported missing, with eight people on board.
Many of Nepal citizens slept in the open night alongside the many others who had not returned home since the first 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, that left over 8,000 people dead.
The most recent quake was centered about 76km from the Kathmandu capital near the town of Namche Bazaar. A second tremor of 6.3-magnitude hit Nepal 30 minutes after and numerous other aftershocks continued into the early hours of Wednesday, May 13, 2015.
The first Tuesday quake was felt as far as India, Tibet and Bangladesh, India’s home ministry revealed that 16 people had been killed by the quake in Bihar State and one more person in Uttar Pradesh. Official say that another person has been confirmed dead in Tibet.
The Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk districts were reported to be the worst hit by the quake with officials confirming as many as 26 fatalities of which 20 of them were from Charikot town. However, the true extent of the casualties and damage remains unclear.
Home Minister, Bam Dev Gautam said: “Many houses have collapsed in Dolakha… there is a chance that the number of dead from the district will go up.”
According to a German aid worker in Charikot, Regine Kopplow, said: “I saw a woman in the building opposite jump from the third floor who suffered injuries to her leg, elbow and hand. People stayed outside, the shaking continued. Some people were crying, hugging each other.”
The Red Cross said it had received reports of many casualties in the town of Chautara in Sindhupalchowk, where it has a hospital and which has become a hub for humanitarian aid. The Red Cross spokeswoman, Nichola Jones, said: “Hundreds of people are pouring in. They are treating dozens for injuries and they have performed more than a dozen surgeries.”
At least two major buildings collapsed in Kathmandu, with at least three people rescued and there are reports of landslides and fallen buildings in towns and villages outside the capital, Kathmandu.
Save the Children said Gorkha, a town close to the epicentre of the April 25 quake had also been hit by new landslides. A spokeswoman told reporters its staff had been “dodging huge rocks rolling off the hillside”.
