A magnitude 5.2 earthquake, followed by a slightly weaker 4.5 magnitude aftershock struck Nepal on Monday, sending people scrambling for safety, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. At least three people were injured.
The temblors follow Friday’s deadly 6.2 magnitude earthquake that killed 157 people and injured more than 339 others. It was Nepal's worst earthquake since 2015 when some 9,000 people were killed in two earthquakes.
The epicenter of the most recent quake was in Ramidanda in the Jajarkot district, the same location as Friday’s earthquake.
The weaker of the two temblors saw its epicenter near Ramidana too, in Paink in western Nepal. The second earthquake took place nine minutes after the first one.
Friday’s earthquake caused significant damage to infrastructure, with nearly 4,000 houses and buildings destroyed. Monday’s quakes may have further compromised already damaged buildings, according to Jajarkot district official Ek Raj Upadhayay.
No deaths have been reported from Monday’s quakes so far, according to Jajarkot police official Satosh Rokka. There were reports of landslides blocking roadways.
The earthquake Friday could be felt as far away as New Delhi and was the deadliest quake in the Himalayan nation since 2015 when twin tremblors devastated whole towns, centuries-old temples and other historic sites, and reduced more than a million houses to rubble resulting in $6 billion worth of damage.
Some information in this report is from The Associated Press and Reuters.
