Earthquake, 6 Aftershocks Hit Nepal, Close To Kathmandu, Mount Everest; At Least 42 Dead

Update as of 8:14 a.m. EDT: The death toll from the latest earthquake and at least six aftershocks in Nepal has climbed to at least 42, the country's home ministry said Tuesday, adding that 1,117 people had been injured, the Associated Press reported.

The country's health ministry reportedly said that three people were rescued to safety in Kathmandu, while nine others were rescued in Dolakha district, about 107 northeast of the capital. The death toll is expected to increase, officials added.

Update as of 7:34 a.m. EDT: The death toll from the latest earthquake and six aftershocks in Nepal increased to at least 36, the country’s home ministry said on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. More than 1,100 people are reportedly injured, the report added.

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake triggered landslides and destroyed several homes even as the Himalayan nation struggles to recover from a massive earthquake on April 25, which killed over 8,000 people.

Five people were killed in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, officials said, according to Reuters.

Update as of 6:51 a.m. EDT: Nepal's home ministry announced Tuesday evening that at least 19 people have been killed and 981 people injured in the powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit the Himalayan country Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

Update as of 6:30 a.m. EDT: At least 14 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Nepal after a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake and several major aftershocks hit the region on Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing officials.

Five people died in Sindhupalchowk, a district located about 40 miles northeast of Kathmandu, district administrator Krishna Gwayali reportedly said, while six others were killed in Dolakha district close to the epicenter, which lies in a region between Mount Everest and the capital city of Kathmandu. A police official reportedly said that three people had died in Kathmandu.

Original story:

At least four people have been killed and a number of buildings have collapsed in the town of Chautara, Nepal, after the country was struck Tuesday by a powerful earthquake and two major aftershocks, the Associated Press reported, citing an official with the International Organization for Migration.

Tuesday's earthquake was a shallow one -- about 11.5 miles below the surface -- and the tremors were reportedly felt across northern India, including in the states of Delhi, Bihar and West Bengal. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported five aftershocks had hit the country ranging in magnitude from 5.0 to 6.3.

Over 300 people have been injured by the latest quake and the aftershocks, Reuters reported, citing local officials. According to another Reuters report, two people were killed in the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Meanwhile, tremors were felt as far east as Kolkata and as far south as Chennai, according to local reports.

"We are getting messages that many people have vacated their houses and the temporary shelters," Ram Prasad Sharma, an official with Nepal's home ministry in Kathmandu, said, The Hindu, an Indian newspaper, reported. "This is only information we have now."

The report, citing Nepal TV, also added that the country's government has decided to keep its educational institutions closed for another two weeks. They were shut down after the April 25 earthquake.

The international airport in Kathmandu, which was closed after the powerful quake hit, resumed operations, Flightradar24 wrote on its Twitter account.

This is a developing story.