Magnitude 5 earthquake hits central Nepal

Central Nepal including the capital Kathmandu Valley felt tremors measuring 5 on the Richter scale Monday afternoon.

Officials at the National Seismological Centre under the Department of Geology and Mines said the earthquake hit at round 3:34 p.m.

Northern part of Nuwakot district, some 30km north-west of Kathmandu Valley, is believed to be the epicenter of the earthquake. There were no reports of damages due to the earthquake.

This is the first time tremor of this magnitude has been felt in Kathmandu since 1989. Kathmandu Valley is considered a seismologically sensitive zone.

Considering the unplanned urbanisation and lack of awareness on earthquake safely, experts have time and again cautioned about crisis situation if a major quake hits Kathmandu Valley. nepalnews.com ia Oct 29 07