Nepal Earthquake: Dozens Die in New Tremor near Everest

A major earthquake has struck eastern Nepal, near Mount Everest, two weeks after more than 8,000 died in a devastating quake. At least 37 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured, officials said.

The latest earthquake hit near the town of Namche Bazaar and sent thousands of panicked residents on to the streets on the capital, Kathmandu. It had a magnitude of 7.3, compared to the 7.8 of the 25 April quake in western Nepal.

The latest tremor was also felt in northern India and Bangladesh. It was centred about 76km ( 47 miles) east of Kathmandu, in a rural area close to the Chinese border. Three people have been confirmed dead in India.

The quake struck at 12:35 local time ( 06: 50 GMT). Rescue helicopters have been sent to districts northeast of the capital, that are believed to be worst hit. A spokesman for Nepal’s government says that 31 of the country’s 75 districts had been affected.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala called for “courage and patience” and urged all those who had assisted Nepal since the 25 April quake “to once again extend your helping hand”. Scientists are already producing some preliminary analyses of yesterday’s quake.

The epicentre this time is about 80km (50 miles) eastnorth-east of Kathmandu, halfway to Everest. On 25 April, the big quake began 80km to the north-west of the capital. In April, we saw the fault boundary rupture eastwards for 150km ( 93 miles). And the immediate assessment suggests Tuesday’s tremor has occurred right at the eastern edge of this failure.

In that context, this second earthquake was almost certainly triggered by the stress changes caused by the first one. Indeed, the US Geological Survey had a forecast for an aftershock in this general area. Its modelling suggested there was 1-in200 chance of a M7- 7.8 event occurring this week. So, not highly probable, but certainly possible.

Quake experts often talk about “seismic gaps”, which refer to segments of faults that are, to some extent, overdue a quake. Tuesday’s big tremor may well have filled a hole between what we saw on 25 April and some historic events - such as those in 1934, that occurred further still to the east.