After 2,000 deaths, fresh tremors rock Nepal

Kathmandu, April 26 , 2015: Another powerful earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale shook Nepal on Sunday even as rescuers battled against great odds to try rescue trapped people from the previous day's tremblor that left nearly 2,000 dead in the Himalayan nation. Tens of thousands fled out of their homes in the Kathmandu Valley and other districts at 12.54 p.m., triggering fresh scare in a country still trying to come to grips with Saturday's extent of devastation. The epicentre of Sunday's earthquake was at 17 km south of Kodari, about 110 km from here. The quake was comparatively shallower, at 10 km compared to the Saturday temblor whose epicentre lay at a depth of 15 km. The second earthquake or major aftershock hit Nepal even as soldiers, policemen and other official agencies were out on the streets in full strength throughout the night both in the Kathmandu Valley and other districts as India and other countries rushed immediate help. A day after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake rattled much of Nepal and even neighbouring India, Bhutan and Tibet, an official statement put the latest death toll at 1,911 people. The Saturday quake's epicentre lay in Lamjung district, around 75 km northwest of Kathmandu. The Nepal home ministry said more than 50 aftershocks were also felt. "The aftershocks are still continuing," said an IANS correspondent in the nation's capital. Fearing more damage, hundreds of rattled residents of Kathmandu slept on the streets. Charitable organisations and official agencies provided food and water to the homeless. At least 723 people perished in Kathmandu alone while 205 others were killed in Bhaktapur, just 13 km from the capital and 125 in Lalitpur, only five kilometres away, a statement from the ministry said. Two foreigners and two police personnel were among the dead. The statement warned that the death toll was likely to rise.