Strong tremors felt in Nepal, north India

Kathmandu: A 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal’s far-western Bajura district on Tuesday afternoon. The tremor was felt as far as Kathmandu and New Delhi.

Nepal’s National Earthquake Research and Monitoring Center said that the earthquake, with an epicenter at Mela in Bajura was recorded at 14:43 pm. Local authorities say there were no immediate reports of damage after the earthquake.

Local authorities in Nepal’s Bajura said that several houses were destroyed due to the earthquake.

According to Lokendra Bahadur Bista, assistant chief district officer of Bajura, the complete details about the damage caused by the earthquake have not been received yet. “Several houses have been destroyed. We are trying to get details from remote villages,” he told local media.

Meanwhile, India’s National Centre for Seismology has put the intensity of Tuesday’s earthquake at 5.8 magnitude. The earthquake was felt across north India, the center said. It said the earthquake occurred at latitude 29.41 and longitude 81.68 – at a depth of 10 km.

Measurement by the US earthquake agency, the US Geological Survey, showed the earthquake with an intensity of 5.6 magnitude. The quake’s epicentre was located 62km west of Jumla, it said.

Earlier on November 10, at least six people lost their lives leaving five people injured following an earthquake that jolted Nepal’s Doti district. Nepal has been witnessing frequent earthquakes and aftershocks after a 7.8-magnitude devastating earthquake hit the South Asian nation, killing nearly 9,000 people and flattening homes and buildings, in 2015.

The country is highly vulnerable to earthquakes where tectonic plates of India and Eurasia collide, creating the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau.

Also read: Three earthquakes jolt Nepal leaving 6 dead