A four-storey building collapsed in Nayabazar following the earthquake. People are believed to be under the rubble. Photo: Dambar Krishna ShresthaMore people were killed and more houses collapsed when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rattled Nepal at around 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The death toll from Tuesday's earthquake has reached 59 so far and is expected to rise further.
Ramechhap and Dolakha are among the worst hit districts. Casualties and damages have been reported from Sindhupalchok, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur as well.
Around 200 people have been reportedly injured in different parts of the earthquake-affected districts.
According to Dhan Prasad Chaulagain of the Lalitpur District Post Office, his 55-year-old uncle Chitra Prasad Chaulagain and aunty, whose name has not been ascertained, were killed when their house went down in Bhimeswor municipality-5, Dolakha.
Ministry of Home Affairs has confirmed three deaths in Teku, Samakhusi and Matatirtha in Kathmandu. One of the three killed is an 11-year-old girl. She was crushed to death by a wall.
Several houses have collapsed in Naya Bajar and Gongabu areas of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. More people are believed to be buried there. Rescuers are busy pulling out people alive.
After the earthquake, Kathmandu's only international airport was closed for almost half an hour. People had rushed out of their houses, offices and the airport after the earthquake. There were at least five aftershocks within the first hour of the earthquake.
According to Bhakta Kumari Lama, a student union leader currently in Boch village of Dolakha, huge palls of smoke swirled around after the earthquake. Lama said the earthquake triggered landslides on the surrounding hills.
Two weeks ago, just before noon on 25 April, a 7.8 earthquake epicentered around Barpak of Gorkha, had rattled central and western Nepal, killing more than 8,000 people and leaving more than 17,000 people wounded.
Tuesday's earthquake, epicentered around Namche bazaar of Solukhumbu district, strikes at a time when search and rescue works continue for the 25 April earthquake survivors.
Schools closed down after the 25 April earthquake were scheduled to be reopened from coming Friday. Education officials are now discussing whether they can reopen schools from this week.