KATHMANDU: At least 50 people have died in Nepal due to the latest large earthquake there, police spokesman Kamal Singh Bam said late Tuesday. At least 17 people in India have also died as a result of the tremor, Home Ministry spokesman Kuldeep Dhatwalia was quoted as saying by CNN. Sixteen of those deaths were in the Bihar state, with the other in Uttar Pradesh. Just over two weeks after thousands died in a mammoth earthquake, Nepal got hit hard again on Tuesday — with another powerful tremor that has left dozens more dead, more than 1,000 injured and questions about what’s next for the already traumatised Asian nation. The fact that Nepal just endured a similar horror, not to mention waves of aftershocks that followed, didn’t diminish Tuesday’s damage or shock. More buildings collapsed, more landslides rumbled, and more people scrambled for their lives. The 7.3-magnitude quake struck at 12:35pm, some 76 kilometres east of Kathmandu, the US Geological Survey said, after a 7.8-magnitude quake on April 25 killed more than 8,000 people. Tuesday’s quake was felt as far away as New Delhi, and officials said it caused buildings to collapse in Tibet in neighbouring China, killing at least one person there.A second tremor of 6.3-magnitude struck Nepal around half an hour later, followed by yet more aftershocks, according to the USGS. Nepalese television showed buildings including parliament swaying as the earth moved underneath, while footage also emerged of fresh landslides in rural areas.“At an hour of a natural disaster like this, we have to face it with courage and patience,” Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said after an emergency meeting of his cabinet. The Nepalese government has acknowledged that it was overwhelmed by the scale of the April 25 disaster which destroyed nearly 300,000 homes and left many more too dangerous to live in any more. The districts of Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk, two of the worst affected by the original quake last month, bore the brunt of the damage once more.“Many houses have collapsed in Dolakha and there is a chance that the number of dead from the district will go up,” said Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam. The Red Cross said it had received reports of large-scale casualties in the town of Chautara in Sindhupalchowk, where its Norwegian branch is running a field hospital.“Now hundreds of people are pouring in. They are treating dozens for injuries and they have performed more than a dozen surgeries,” said Red Cross spokeswoman Nichola Jones. Patrick Fuller, another Red Cross spokesman, said there also had been reports of landslides in Tatopani, near the Chinese border.Save the Children said two major buildings had collapsed in Kathmandu’s Balaju Nayabazar area while many more multi-storeyed buildings were showing large fissures. The Gorkha region had also been hit by landslides and many key roads were blocked, the British charity added. Residents of Kathmandu meanwhile described their sense of terror when the quake struck.“We felt it and suddenly there were huge crowds running up and down,” said Suresh Sharma, who was in a vegetable market at the time. “It was very scary and very difficult to make my way out,” said 63-year-old.“The last time we had the big quake I ran out of my house and barely escaped. This one felt just like that one. I can’t believe it’s happening again.” Rose Foley, working in Kathmandu for the UN’s children’s fund Unicef, said staff dived under tables as the ground swayed for around a minute. “The shaking seemed to go on and on. We got out to safety as soon as possible. Sitting out in the open it felt like I was on a boat on rough seas as aftershocks hit,” she said by email.Although the latest quake did not appear to be as severe as the April 25 one, residents were terrified that buildings that were already badly damaged could come crashing down. “I was thinking of moving to a rented room, but today was so scary I can’t risk my family’s life,” Dipak Koirala, who has been living under a tent since April 25, said from central Ramechhap district. “We will continue to stay in the tent but it’s wet here and the rain came into the tent, which we are sharing with 24 people.”Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, the main entry point for flights bringing in aid, was briefly closed again on Tuesday as a precaution. Relief teams from around the world are still working to provide water, food and medical assistance to Nepalis after the April 25 quake. Our correspondent adds: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has extended deep condolences on the death of dozens of persons in Nepal when another earthquake struck the country on Tuesday.In his message, the prime minister said the Pakistani nation is with their Nepali brethren in this hour of need. He said Pakistan was already providing assistance to the affected families by sending 27 special flights to Kathmandu, which will be continued in the days to come.Nawaz Sharif assured the people of Nepal that Pakistan will support them till their complete restoration.
