Overnight, Nepal was rocked by another deadly earthquake, a little more than two weeks after a 7.8 magnitude quake rocked the small nation on April 25.
Per reports in The Australian and elsewhere, the 7.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Sindhupalchowk district, on the Tibetan border, a region already devastated by the previous quake.
The death toll in the small, rural area already stood at 3000 – 29 more people have now been confirmed dead, with 1000 more injured, as residents of the area remain terrified to return to their homes.
The overall death toll from both earthquakes now stands at 8150, a number that is expected to rise as rescuers and aid workers try to access remote communities. 18,000 are injured and hundreds of thousands find themselves displaced.
Nepal, already one of Asia’s poorest countries, is struggling to cope in the wake of the devastation. There are fears that many structures still standing are unsound, with as many as three quarters of the buildings in capital Kathmandu thought to be at risk.
Per reports in BBC News, politicians fled the Nepali parliamentary chamber as the tremors were felt, while Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has called for “courage and patience”, urging the international community to “once again lend a helping hand.”
At least 17 people have also died in the nearby Indian state of Bihar as a result of yesterday’s quake.
Photo: Prakash Mathema via Getty Images
