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7.4-magnitude earthquake hits devastated Nepal; epicentre near China border, tremors felt across India

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 12, May 2015, 14:16 pm IST | UPDATED: 12, May 2015, 19:20 pm IST

7.4-magnitude earthquake hits devastated Nepal; epicentre near China border, tremors felt across India

New Delhi: A massive earthquake of magntitude 7.4 on the Richter scale hit Nepal capital Kathmandu on Tuesday triggering strong tremors which were felt across Delhi and other parts of north India.

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake, with its epicentre in Afghanistan, also hit around the same time.

The tremors were felt in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and West Bengal and even shook buildings for nearly a minute in places as far south as Mumbai. People rushed out of offices and houses in panic when the tremors hit around 12:35pm.

There were reports of damges to buildings in West Bengal and Sikkim. Further details are awaited.

In Delhi, Metro services were immediately put on restricted mode with speeds being slowed down.

Home minister Rajnath Singh said his ministry is gathering details about the extent of damage.

The US Geological Survey located the epicentre 83 kms from Kathmandu. Tuesday's quake was deeper, however, coming from a depth of 18.5 kilometers versus the April 25th quake that hit 15 kilometers. More shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage at the surface.

In Kathmandu, the quake flattened many buildings which survived the monster 7.8 quake of April 25.

“It’s still shaking. There’s a lot of damage here. The aftershocks are still happening,” reporter in Kathmandu reported.

"This is a really big one," said Prakash Shilpakar, the owner of a handicrafts shop in Kathmandu who was trying to call his parents in the town of Bhaktapur, devastated in the April 25 quake.

People in Kathmandu rushed outdoors, Reuters reporters said. There were no immediate reports of damage to buildings. Shopkeepers closed their shops.

The quake's epicentre was close to Everest Base Camp, which was evacuated after an avalanche triggered by the April 25 quake killed 18 climbers. Mountaineers seeking to scale the world's tallest peak have called off this year's Everest season.

The April 25 earthquake in Nepal killed more than 7,800 people and injured thousands more. The government figures show that tens of thousands of houses have been demolished and assistance is immediately needed for 400,000 families.

The UN estimates that as many as 8 million people have been affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.