Over 100 aftershocks since Saturday strike fear in Nepal

Over 100 aftershocks have jolted Nepal since Saturday, prompting thousands to flee Kathmandu and forcing many to live outdoors.

A total of 110 aftershocks measuring above 4 on the Richter scale have shaken the country till Thursday morning. Nepal was devastated by a massive earthquake on Saturday, killing over 5,000 people.

People are now leaving Kathmandu everyday and thousands of people are living in open spaces fearing another quake.

An UN agency said that over 500,000 houses were either fully or partially damaged in the capital due to the quake. People are now afraid to return to their homes that have developed cracks.

They are concerned that even a minor quake could lead to a collapse of their house.

Life is not coming fully back to normal as markets are not opening, schools are shut and government and private offices have not resumed their work.

The latest aftershock was recorded on Thursday at 6.22 a.m. Its epicenter was Lamjung district, some 200 km west from Kathmandu and measured 4.7 on the Richter scale.

Dilliram Tiwari, a seismologist, said that a quake below 6 on the Richter scale is not that dangerous.

"These types of tremor can be felt after a major quake, so people should not panic," he added.

Lokbijaya Adhikari of National Seismology Centre said that small tremors can be felt for until one week after the major quake.

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)