4 fresh tremors hit Nepal as toll crosses 8,000
11 May 2015 12:07 AM GMT
Four fresh tremors on Sunday jolted Nepal, triggering panic among the people already battered by the devastating earthquake and about 160 aftershocks as the death toll crossed 8,000.
Massive landslide and avalanche also forced suspension of rescue works in the popular trekking area of Langtang, where Nepal Army’s rescue team has taken out 90 dead bodies, including nine foreigners, so far.
According to some media reports, as many as 120 bodies have been pulled out and rescuers who were searching for bodies have moved to safe places. Lieutenant Colonel Anup Jung Thapa said the rescue works was disrupted due to huge piles of frequent avalanche in and around the area.
Meanwhile, three tremors jolted the Himalayan nation today, bringing the total number of aftershocks with 4 or more magnitude on the Richter Scale to over 156.
A 4.2-magnitude tremor was recorded at 1.50 AM with its epicentre at Sindhupalchowk district, 100 km east of Kathmandu, one of the worst-affected districts.
Another 4-magnitude tremor was recorded at 2.44 AM with epicentre at Udaypur district.
The third tremor was of 4.4-magnitude which struck at 6.34 AM with epicentre at Sindhupalchowk/Tibet, according to the National Seismological Centre, Kathmandu.
Fresh avalanches force workers to call off searching for bodies
Fresh avalanches forced rescuers in a village buried by a landslide in northern Nepal to stop searching for bodies in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, officials said on Sunday.
The avalanches on Friday and on Saturday made the work dangerous for police and army rescuers, and they moved to higher and safer ground, said government administrator Gautam Rimal.
Weather conditions also deteriorated with continuing rainfall and fog, he said.
Nepal denies entry to British copters
Nepal’s government today said it has denied entry to three British military helicopters sent to help the earthquake relief effort because of fears they could damage buildings when landing.
A foreign ministry spokesman said the Chinook helicopters, which arrived in New Delhi last week en route to the quake-hit country, were too big to land.
“We have told the British authorities that they cannot fly their Chinook helicopters here because our technical team says they are likely to damage the houses and other buildings in the Kathmandu valley,” spokesman Tara Pokharel told AFP.
“We are worried about broken windows and roofs being blown off by these big helicopters.”
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