A strong earthquake shook Nepal on Tuesday, sending people in the capital Kathmandu rushing out on to the streets weeks after a devastating quake killed more than 8,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, eyewitnesses said. Four people are reported dead in Chautara, Nepal following buildings that collapsed after the 7.3 quake on May 12, epicentred near Mount Everest. Three major landslides afre being reported in Sindhupalchowk region, at least 12 injured, says a district official, according to Reuters live blog.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.3 and struck 68 km west of the town of Namche Bazar, close to Mount Everest.


Reuters upgraded the initial 7.1 report to 7.4 magnitude. Within a span of 40 minutes there have been earthquakes reported across Afghanistan, China and Indonesia along with tremors in North and East India.

USGS upgrades Nepal quake to 7.4 magnitude, depth of 19 km

— Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) May 12, 2015

"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.

Shockwaves were felt across northern India and as far away as the capital New Delhi, where buildings swayed for more than a minute and people scurried into the streets.

Parts of West Bengal were rocked by the earthquake, that had its epicentre in Nepal, causing panic among the people.

Hundreds of people ran out of their homes, offices, metro stations and high rise buildings, and assembled on the streets. The tremors were felt in various parts of the city especially in Lake Town, Salt Lake, Dalhouise and Park street area. People ran out of Metro stations and high rise buildings.

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.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck on April 25, killing at least 8,046 people and injuring more than 17,800.

Source: Screengrab from the USGS site at 1:40 pm IST