Magnitude-6.7 aftershock hits Nepal, tremors felt across India

According to the latest figures available with the Home Ministry, over 2,200 people have been killed and 5,654 are injured.

Updated - November 17, 2021 11:06 am IST - Kathmandu/New Delhi

This USGS image locates Kodari, the epicentre of a 6.7-magnitude aftershock that hit Nepal and India on Sunday.

This USGS image locates Kodari, the epicentre of a 6.7-magnitude aftershock that hit Nepal and India on Sunday.

Massive rescue and relief efforts were mounted by India and other neighbours in Nepal, as two powerful aftershocks on Sunday rattled the country, adding to the misery of Saturday’s devastation in which the casualties soared to 2,200 people dead and over 5,600 others injured.

The 7.9-magnitude temblor on Saturday left a trail of devastation and suffering, with people spending the cold night in the open because of a series of aftershocks that scared several of the survivors from returning to their homes.

According to the latest figures available with the Home Ministry, over 2,200 people have been killed and 5,654 are injured.

1,053 people are reported killed in the Kathmandu Valley alone. Officials fear the death toll could rise as desperate search for survivors continued.

A strong 6.7-magnitude aftershock followed by another measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale today sent people running for open spaces.

International teams, including from India, have touched down here as Nepal declared a state of emergency in the wake of the disaster, the worst in over 80 years of the country’s recorded history.

Rescuers have been hunting for survivors under heaps of debris with bare hands as well as heavy equipment though the efforts have been hampered due to fresh tremors, thunderstorms and snowfall in the mountain ranges.

Locals and tourists sifted through mounds of debris for survivors. Cheers rose when people were found alive, though mostly bodies were pulled out.

Climbers said the aftershocks caused more avalanches at the Mount Everest, where at least 22 people have been killed.

MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have carried out five casualty evacuation sorties and the injured have been moved to military hospitals.

Tremors were also felt in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand.

Uttar Pradesh

Fresh tremors were felt in parts of Uttar Pradesh even as the toll mounted to 13 with one more person succumbing to injuries in Kushinagar, which was among the badly affected district of the state.

Fresh aftershocks were felt for a few seconds in different parts of the state, but there was no immediate report of causality or damage to property in the latest temblor.

In Khusinagar district bordering Nepal, one person died during tremors in in Nauka Chappara village in Kushinagar district on Saturday, a police spokesman said in Lucknow.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday sent relief material to Nepal and areas affected by earthquake on Saturday.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had announced a financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh to the kin of those killed in the earthquake, Rs. 50,000 to grievously injured and Rs. 20,000 to those having minor injuries, an official spokesman said.

The Chief Minister had also talked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him of the situation in the state, the official said.

“The CM called the Prime Minister and apprised him with the measures being taken by the state government,” the spokesman said.

Mr. Yadav had asked state Chief Secretary and DGP along with the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police to assess loss of life and property caused by the earthquake.

Rajasthan: One killed

A minor girl was killed and seven children were injured when a hut collapsed on them at Roniza village in Bharatpur district as fresh tremors which hit parts of Rajasthan.

The tremors were felt in Jaipur and adjoining towns scaring people to come out of their houses, a MeT official said.

The deceased eight year old girl was yet to be identified, while injured kids were rushed to the nearby hospitals in Nadbai by their parents, the SP Bharatpur Rahul Prakash told PTI on phone.

The thatched roof was supported by stone slabs and the kids were playing when the mishap occurred around 12:56 pm, the SP said, adding it was to be ascertained by the seismology experts whether it was collapsed due to tremors or any other reason.

A rescue team of policemen went from Nadbai to take stock of the situation, he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Police has started a Helpline for people whose relatives live in Nepal.

A free helpline number is 011-23012113, 011-23014104, and 011-23017905, according to Additional Director-General of Police (Armed Battalion) Rajiv Dasot.

The tremors, which had a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter Scale and epicentred in Nepal, were experienced in Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Delhi for over 30 seconds at 12:42 PM.

Odisha

Fresh tremors jolted several parts of Odisha, triggering panic among people as the aftershocks came a day after a powerful earthquake rocked Nepal and several parts of India.

The MeT office here said that an earthquake of moderate intensity having its magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale occurred at 12.39 hours IST with its epicentre at latitude 27.60 North and longitude 85.90 East in Nepal.

The epicentre of the earthquake is about 810 km from Bhubaneswar in the direction of North. The earthquake is felt in some parts of Odisha, it said.

Apart from the state capital Bhubaneswar, the tremors were felt in Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Khurda and other areas which had also been jolted by Saturday’s earthquake.

Shaken by the fresh tremors, panic-stricken people moved out of buildings, particularly multi-storeyed and high-rise structures to open areas.

However, there was no immediate report of damage to property or anyone getting hurt, officials said.

West Bengal

Fresh tremors were felt in several parts of West Bengal at around 12.40 p.m. causing panic among the people who ran out of their homes and assembled on the streets.

“The tremor had its epicentre further east of the region in Nepal that witnessed an earthquake yesterday. The magnitude of the earthquake on the Richter Scale is 6.9 and the tremors were felt here in the city and the surrounding areas. We are still waiting for more details,” a senior official of Kolkata Meteorological department told PTI .

The tremor was felt in different parts of the city especially in Behala, Garia, Kidderpore, Lake Town, Salt Lake, Dalhousie and Park street areas.

Metro services in the city were temporarily stopped following the tremor, a senior official of Kolkata Metro said.

“Mainly because of safety reasons, we have stopped the services. We are running a check whether there is any damage of the tracks or elsewhere. Once that’s complete we will resume the services,” he said.

A police official said that they had not received report of any casualty in the city.

Tremors were also experienced in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Bankura and East Midnapur districts of the state, reports reaching here said.

In West Bengal, three persons were killed and 69, including 43 school children, were injured after a 7.9—magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal and several parts of the country yesterday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to visit North Bengal this afternoon which was most affected in yesterday’s quake.

The Nepal government has sought assistance from the West Bengal government following Saturday's devastating earthquake.

Assam

Two fresh tremors shook Assam though there was no immediate report of any casualty or damage to property.

The first tremor, which lasted for a second, was felt around 1242 hrs and the second one was felt after a few seconds in almost all districts of the state, officials said.

The quake shook buildings, rattled windows in houses and swayed electric poles.

Sunday’s quake was 6.9 on the Richter Scale in Nepal at a depth of 10 km with epicentre at Latitude 27.6 degree North and Longitude 85.9 degree East, Met office here said.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has directed Chief Secretary Jitesh Khosla to take stock of the situation, alert the Assam State Disaster Management Authority and other line departments.

The Chief Minister has further asked Khosla to take required steps to see if any individual from the state was stranded in Nepal and ensure his/her safe return, officials said.

Meanwhile, the state government has opened a toll free number 1070 for relatives of people from the state who are stuck in Nepal following Saturday’s earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale.

Assam Police has also opened two helpline numbers for people from the state affected by the earthquake in Nepal with IGP Special Branch Hiren Nath to act as the Nodal officer.

The numbers are: 094355522203 and 08749860803.

Jharkhand

Tremors were felt in several parts of Jharkhand. Mild tremors shook Ranchi, Dumka, Sahibganj, Lohardaga and other parts of the state around 12.42 pm, officials said. There was no report of any casualty or damage to property, they added.

Nepal Ambassador thanks govt. for rescue help

Ambassador-designate of Nepal Deep Kumar Upadhyay expressed gratitude to India for its quick response in helping its quake-hit neighbour. >More

All relief operations headed to Kathmandu have been kept on hold till 4 p.m. due to fresh tremors in Nepal, according to the Defence Ministry.

The Weather Forecasting Center of the India Meteorological Department has predicted fairly widespread rain or thundershower activity over Nepal during the next 24 hours, an official release informed. >More

U.S. announces $1 million assistance

In a statement, the U.S. embassy said that the US expresses its “deepest condolences” to all those affected by Saturday’s earthquake in Nepal, including the families of those killed or injured. U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Peter Bodde has issued a disaster declaration in order to immediately release an initial $1 million for emergency assistance.

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