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.
The
U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.1 and struck
68 km west of the town of Namche Bazar, close to Mount Everest.
“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.
People
in Kathmandu rushed outdoors, Reuters reporters said. There were no
immediate reports of damage to buildings. Shopkeepers closed their
shops.
The
quake’s epicenter 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.
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