Fresh tremors were felt today across north and east India, a day after a quake devastated Nepal and affected parts of India. The aftershocks measured 6.7 in the Richter scale according to United States Geological Survey — the epicenter was Kodari, around 80 km east of Kathmandu.
Soon after, the defence ministry, which is helping with the relief and rescue operations in Nepal, suspended vehicular and air traffic there. “All movement to Kathmandu kept on hold till 16.00 (4 pm) due to fresh tremors in Nepal,” tweeted a spokesperson of Defence ministry.
The Kathmandu airport shut down as the air traffic controllers evacuated. The IndiGo, Spicejet flights that were to land in Kathmandu, had to return. Private airlines had resumed flights to Kathmandu this morning.
In India, besides Delhi, the tremors were also felt in Lucknow and JAipur. And in Bihar, where 35 people died in yesterday’s quake, the tremors went on for several minutes.
In Delhi and Kolkata, metro services were stopped temporarily.
Climber Jim Davidson said he felt the aftershock at Camp One on Everest. “Just had our biggest aftershock yet here at C1 on Everest. Smaller than original quake but glacier shook & avalanches,” he tweeted.
Giving details of the aftershocks, GL Gautam, director of the Indian Meteorological Department, said, “More aftershocks will follow… This will continue for weeks… northern India would not face much of a problem.”
Yesterday’s earthquake, which measured 7.9 on Richter scale, killed more than 1900 people in Nepal and 53 in India and led to widespread devastation.
Thousands of people were displaced in Nepal, roads developed huge cracks, old buildings were flattened. The aftershocks remained mild, but panic-stricken people spent the night under the open sky.
The worst quake to hit the Himalayan country in 80 years, also triggered a deadly avalanche that buried a part of the base camp for climbers bound for Mount Everest. Seventeen bodies have been recovered so far; 61 people have been injured.
