New 7.3 Earthquake Hits Nepal; Kathmandu Residents in Panic

NEPAL – Residents in Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu went into panic Tuesday as a strong earthquake, measuring 7.3 in magnitude, struck the Nepal-Tibet border, the US Geological Survey announced.

The USGS said the quake was registered 18 kilometers southeast of Kodari, Nepal, near Mount Everest.

The quake, which struck near the base camp for Everest, 22k south-east of Zham, China, and 83km east of Kathmandu, Nepal, was measured at a shallow depth of about 18.5 km (revised from 10km).

People in Kathmandu, which has not recovered yet from the devastating quake that killed more than 8,000 people on April 25, were seen running out of the building and into the open areas, crying and shouting for help.

Nepal is expected to post an economist loss of about USD5 billion from the earthquake that struck last April. – BusinessNewsAsia.com