Nepal: 4.1 magnitude earthquake jolts country

An earthquake of 4.1 magnitude hit Nepal on Monday, in the early hours of the morning.

The quake took place 21 km NNE of Nagarkot, Nepal. The epicentre was at a depth of 10.0 km, determined to be at 27.907°N latitude and 85.573°E longitude.

"An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 on the Richter Scale hit 21 km NNE of Nagarkot, Nepal, at 5.52am today," stated the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The recent earthquakes in Nepal that have caused unprecedented damage to lives and property, have necessitated the demand for well-framed policy measures to manage such disasters.

A high-intensity earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale struck central Nepal— between its capital city Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara— on April 25, 2015. It was estimated to have killed 8,964 people and injured close to 22,000 people.

The earthquake, known as the Gorkha earthquake, also shook several cities across north India. Tremors had also been felt in Lahore, Pakistan, Lhasa (in Tibet), and in Dhaka (in Bangladesh). Following the quake, Kathmandu's international airport was shut down.

The earthquake had also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing 22 people.

A major aftershock took place on May 12, 2015, the epicentre of which was near the Chinese border between Kathmandu and Mount Everest. It was estimated that over 200 people were killed in this powerful aftershock, and over 2,500 were injured.

• Earthquake jolts Nepal