Modi to meet ministers to assess situation after quake

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called a high-level meeting with ministers and top government officials at 3.00 p.m. to discuss the situation after a massive earthquake hit Nepal.

The earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale rocked Nepal at 11.41 a.m. (India time), with reports of tremors from national capital Delhi to Guwahati in Assam and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir to Jaipur in Rajasthan.

The aftershocks were felt even half-an-hour after the quake.

"The prime minister has taken reports on the situation from districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that border Nepal," an official statement issued here said.

He also spoke to the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sikkim. The prime minister was also trying to speak to his Nepal counterpart Sushil Koirala, who is abroad.

Modi has spoken to Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav, the statement added.

The Prime Minister's Office has also spoken to the Indian embassy in Bhutan in the wake of the earthquake. The embassy is in touch with top Bhutan officials as well, the statement added.