Major aftershock hits Nepal day after cataclysmic earthquake

[eXpLoReRs]

A powerful aftershock jolted Nepal on Sunday as the Himalayan nation struggled to cope with the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake that had struck a day earlier, killing more than 2,000 people and leveling scores of buildings.

 

The magnitude of the new quake Sunday was initially estimated at 6.7 by the U.S. Geological Survey, considerably weaker than the 7.8 magnitude of the devastating one of a day earlier.

 

But it was still enough to create fresh panic among already traumatized residents.

 

"People are running and everything is shaking," said Kushal Neogy, a staff member of the aid group Catholic Relief Services in Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital.

"It is really shaking very hard and strong," he said live on CNN as the aftershock rattled the city. Sirens were wailing and dust was rising into the air, he added.

 

Climbers also said it set off fresh avalanches on Mount Everest, where at least 17 people were reported to have been killed on Saturday.