A powerful tremor has been felt in the Kathmandu Valley in the wee hours on Friday.
According to the National Seismological Center, Lainchaur, a 6.1-magnitude quake struck the central Nepal with its epicenter around Tatopani in Sindhupalchowk.
The earthquake was felt at 2:51 am today sending people outdoors while they were still asleep.
The tremor was felt in the Valley and its surrounding districts as far as in Tehrathum and Sunsari, locals have said. The casualties and damages caused by the quake are yet to be reported.
This is the second biggest earthquake after the Gorkha earthquake. A devastating earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale had struck Nepal on April 25, 2015.
Earlier on February 12, an earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale had struck with its epicenter in Jumla.
Nepal lies in a fault zone as the Indian plate is constantly pushing against the Eurasian (Tibetan) plate, resulting in seismic activities in the Himalayan country, said Geographer Ganesh Kumar Jimee.
Jimee further said Nepal lies between the two tectonic plates -- Indian plate and the Eurasian Plate -- and their constant push against each other is creating energy. When the energy gets accumulated and strained, it releases in the form of seismic waves.
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