Fresh tremors shake Nepal, India

As operations to rescue people trapped under building debris following the Saturday earthquake get under way in Nepal, parts of India and Nepal experienced fresh tremors again at around 1 pm. The magnitude of the tremor, which had its epicenter in Nepal, was 6.7 on the Richter scale, as per US Geological Survey.

Along with Nepal, the tremors were felt in Delhi, parts of north India, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur.

LS Rathore, director general of India Meteorologial Department (IMD), told media, “More than two-and-a-half dozen aftershocks of magnitude four and above have been recorded. These kinds of aftershocks are likely to continue for a while, so people should take precautions.”

As per officials, rains are expected, which can cause landslide. Like IMD, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Kolkata said, “Our understanding is that this present event will be followed by a sequence of aftershocks over the next several days to weeks and warrants extreme caution.”

Yesterday, after the main tremor which caused havoc in Nepal and parts of India, 14 aftershocks of much less magnitude have been reported.

A report by the Seismic Division of IMD says major damage is expected in and around the epicentral region. The source region is expected to experience an intensity of IX and above at Modified Mercalli scale (MMI), which results in  considerable damage even in specially designed structures.