Kathmandu: At least four people were injured in Kathmandu and elsewhere due to a strong earthquake in the neighbouring Sindhupalchowk district early Friday morning. The quake measuring 6.1 magnitude was recorded at 2.51 am with its epicentre at Bhairabkunda, Sindhupalchowk district, 65 km east of Kathmandu, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre.

Some houses in Sindhupalchowk district developed cracks after the tremor hit the district. Besides Kathmandu valley, the earthquake was also felt by people in southern and eastern Nepal, according to officials.

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The earthquake prompted many people in Kathmandu and nearby areas to come out of their houses in panic. Two people were injured in Kathmandu while an inmate of Chautara prison was injured as he tried to escape following the earthquake. An elderly man was injured in a village in Sindhupalchowk district as he tried to exit his house soon after the earthquake, officials said.

Nepal lies in one of the most active tectonic zones (Seismic zones IV and V), making the Himalayan nation extremely vulnerable to earthquakes. The worst quake it has so far witnessed was in April 2015 when a 7.8 magnitude quake killed more than 9,000 people and damaged over 1 million structures.

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Tremors felt in Bihar
Several places in Bihar were jolted by the earthquake that struck Nepal early on Friday, with tremors felt in Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and other bordering districts, officials said.

Speaking to PTI, Umesh Kumar Singh, meteorologist at the disaster management department (DMD), Bihar government, said, "...the quake was recorded around 2:35 am.... It caused tremors in districts along the Indo-Nepal border and lasted for a few seconds."
He said there were no reports of damage to property or loss of life.

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According to the DMD, tremors were felt in Muzaffarpur, Siwan, Patna, Gopalganj, Saran, West Champaran, East Champaran, and surrounding districts. Nepal earthquake has been trending on Google for the past few hours.

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