Nepal Shaken by 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake with 2015 Flashback

An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter Scale hit Nepal this morning at 7.39 AM. The epicenter of the earthquake was Dhading, which is near the devastation 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal in April 2015 It killed almost 9000 people and injured and left many more homeless.

The earthquake today was felt in the capital city of Kathmandu, along with Gorkha, Nuwakot, Chitwan, Makawanpur, and other nearby areas. There is no immediate news of any major devastation or casualties, though some minor incidents are being reported. Some houses in the Dhading districts have suffered damage and cracks, and some landslides have been reported. But the good news is that no human casualties have been there so far. There are several immediate aftershocks, with magnitudes of some 4.3 and 4.2. But most of them were less than 4 on the magnitude. The aftershocks continued throughout the day, and during the evening at 5.31 PM and 5.33 PM, the largest aftershocks with 5 and 5.1 magnitudes occurred.

According to senior seismologist Lok Vijay Adhikari, today's earthquake is still the aftershock of that 2015 April earthquake. 

As per locals in Chitwan, which is around 65 kilometers from Dhading, there was a mild vibration for 2-3 seconds before the big jolt. The affected people also show some caution due to their experience of the April 2015 earthquake and are staying outdoors for some time in thought of this being a foreshock to a coming bigger jolt.

Major earthquakes in Nepal are not very rare. Being situated in a high seismological zone, it experiences big quakes from time to time, the latest being on April 25, 2015, which was followed by another 7.3 magnitude in Sindhupalchowk and Dolakha.