Dozens killed in earthquake near Mount Everest

(Baonghean.vn) - A major earthquake struck eastern Nepal on Tuesday, May 12, near Mount Everest, two weeks after more than 8,000 people were killed in a devastating earthquake last month.

At least 37 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured, officials said. At least 17 people were also killed in India.

The latest earthquake struck near the town of Namche Bazaar and sent thousands of panicked residents onto the streets of Nepal's capital Kathmandu.

People panicked and poured into the streets when the earthquake occurred (Photo: EPA)

This earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 compared to the magnitude of 7.8 of the April 25 earthquake.

The latest tremor was also felt in northern India and Bangladesh. It was centered in a rural area near the Chinese border, about 76km east of the capital Kathmandu.

India's Home Ministry said 16 people were killed in Bihar state, and another in Uttar Pradesh. Officials in China said one death was also confirmed in Tibet.

Rescue workers continue to work to repair the damage caused by the latest earthquake in Kathmandu (Photo: Reuters)

The earthquake struck at 00:35 Nepal time (06:50 GMT). Rescue helicopters were sent to the eastern districts of the capital, which are said to be the worst hit.

A Nepal government spokesman told the BBC that 31 of the country's 75 districts had been affected.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has called for "courage and patience" and urged all those who have supported Nepal since the April 25 earthquake to "once again extend their helping hands".

The BBC's Yogita Limaye, who was in the mountains of Nepal when the latest earthquake struck, said: "The ground was shaking for quite a long time."

At least four people were killed in the town of Chautara, east of the capital Kathmandu, where several buildings are reported to have collapsed. The International Organization for Migration said bodies had been pulled from the rubble there.

Krishna Gyawali, mayor of Chautara, said there had been several landslides.

The BBC's Navin Singh Khadka says the new earthquake has collapsed many houses and lodges in the Everest region, but local officials report that only a handful of tourists are still in the area after the 25 April quake.

Damage from the earthquake in Sankhu town, 10km east of Nepal's capital (Photo: Reuters)

The latest quake struck at a depth of 15km (9.3 miles), according to the US Geological Survey – as deep as last month's quake.

The 7.3 magnitude earthquake was followed by six aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or higher. Another aftershock occurred 30 minutes later, centered in Ramechhap district, east of Kathmandu, with a magnitude of 6.3.

Pham Tien Hoan

(According to BBC)