7.3-magnitude earthquake hits Nepal, 42 killed

At least 42 people are killed as a strong earthquake hit Nepal days after another quake left a trail of destruction and high casualties in the South Asian country.

According to Nepalese officials, the 7.3-magnitude earthquake also left 1,130 people injured on Tuesday.

The quake triggered landslides and toppled buildings.

Separately, three people died as a result of the earthquake in India.

Meanwhile, China’s state broadcaster China Central Television said that in Tibet, one person was killed and three others were injured in a landslide triggered by the earthquake.

Nepalese people stand in the streets as a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hits the country, in Kathmandu on May 12, 2015. (AFP Photo)

The quake, with its epicenter 83 kilometers east of the capital, Kathmandu, was measured at a shallow depth of about 18.5 km.

The earthquake caused panic in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu. It was also felt in the neighboring countries of India and China.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), magnitude 5.6 and 6.3 earthquakes hit Nepal less than an hour after 7.3 tremor.

A map from the US Geological Survey (USGS) website shows the geographical location of a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, May 12, 2015.
On April 25, a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Nepal that killed more than 8,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes in the country.

The devastating tremor also killed more than 100 people in India and China.

The Nepalese government has allocated 20 billion rupees (around $196 million) for the country’s reconstruction and rehabilitation. However, it is also looking for large-scale financial contribution by the international community.

The UN says the quake has affected more than a quarter of Nepal’s 28 million people.

Speaking from New Delhi, Press TV’s correspondent Munawar Zaman said the earthquake struck at 12:35pm local time and its epicenter was close to the town of Namche Bazaar near Mount Everest.