Second consignment of emergency relief materials from India arrives in Nepal

A second flight carrying nine tonnes of emergency relief materials by India landed in Nepal on Monday (Nov 6).

India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar took to his official X handle and reiterated New Delhi's steadfast support to Nepal after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake, on Friday evening (Nov 3), claimed the lives of at least 153 people and wounded over 250 others in the Himalayan country.

"Second flight carrying 9 tonnes worth of emergency relief assistance lands in Nepal. India’s support to Nepal remains strong and steadfast in this difficult hour," he wrote on X.

The consignment was handed over by Deputy Chief of the Indian Mission Prasanna Shrivastava to Chief District Officer of Banke Shravan Kumar Pokhrel in the presence of Nepalgunj Mayor Prashant Bista.

The relief materials, which were transported via special Indian Air Force C-130, included essential medical and hygiene supplies, tents, sleeping bags and blankets.

The first consignment of more than 11 tonnes of relief materials provided by India comprised tents, tarpaulin sheets, blankets, and sleeping bags along with essential medicines and medical equipment. It was handed over to the Government of Nepal on Sunday (Nov 5).

Nepal records another earthquake in a week

On Monday (Nov 6), as per India's National Centre for Seismology, an earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck Nepal, and its ripples were felt across northern India. 

Notably, the earthquake was recorded in Nepal at 4.14 pm (local time) around the same location where a 6.4 magnitude struck on Friday (Nov 3), killing at least 153 people in the Himalayan country.

Jajarkot, in Karnali province, was one of the worst-hit areas in Friday's earthquake.

Also read: Nepal quake: Municipality at epicentre miraculously escapes destruction despite widespread havoc

Second earthquake in a week 

The first earthquake this week occurred with a magnitude of 6.4, Nepal's National Seismological Centre said. The German Research Centre for Geosciences measured the quake at 5.7, downgrading it from 6.2, while the US Geological Survey pegged it at 5.6.

Officials fear that the death toll in Friday's earthquake in Jajarkot could rise, as they had not been able to establish contact in the hilly area near the epicentre, some 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu. The district has a population of 190,000 with villages scattered in remote hills.

Nepal is situated on the boundary of two tectonic plates — the Asian and Indo-Australian plates. The collision of these two plates caused the Himalayas to rise up, with Tibet at its southern edge.

(With inputs from agencies)