Deadly Aftershock Hits Quake-Rattled Nepal

A large earthquake rattled Nepal Tuesday -- an aftershock from the devastating April 25 quake that left more than 8,000 people dead in the Himalayan nation.

Tuesday, May 12th 2015, 6:58 am

By: News On 6


A large earthquake rattled Nepal Tuesday -- an aftershock from the devastating April 25 quake that left more than 8,000 people dead in the Himalayan nation.

Tuesday's temblor had a magnitude of 7.3, according to the U.S. Geological Survey -- smaller than the 7.8 quake weeks earlier, but powerful enough to cause significant damage send still-shaky Nepalese running out of buildings.

The International Organization for Migration confirmed four deaths and toppled buildings from the aftershock, which struck at 3:05 a.m. Eastern, in the town of Chautara, about 25 miles east of the capital. The Reuters news agency said two people were killed by the quake in India, citing local officials.

The earthquake hit between Kathmandu and Mount Everest and was shallow, with the USGS estimating a depth of only about 10 miles. About 20 people were killed on Mount Everest in the April disaster, which saw vast avalanches of snow and rock careen down the world's highest mountain and smash into base camp, which was full of climbers from around the world.

The USGS said the epicenter appeared to be 47 miles east of Kathmandu. CBS News' Sanjay Jha said he could feel the earth shake in New Delhi, India, some 700 miles away.

Olle Castel, of the British children's aid group Plan UK, has been in Kathmandu working on the response to the April 25 quake. He told Sky News Tuesday the aftershock lasted between 20 and 30 seconds, and his main concern was for the people near the epicenter, given the shallowness of the temblor.

The April 25 quake struck to the west of Kathmandu, near the town of Ghorka.

Columbia Journalism student Shiwani Neupane was with her parents on the 6th floor of a building in Kathmandu when Tuesday's quake struck. She told CBS News by phone that the building shook violently when it happened.

She said people started praying and screaming, "not again!" as the building shook. When it stopped, they all rushed outside and joined hundreds of other people in the street.

Neupane said it was a scene of chaos at street level -- possibly more so even than the April 25 quake, because it came on a weekday and the city was crowded with workers.

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