Nepal's Kathmandu rattled by strong quake, no casualties reported

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck north of Nepal's Kathmandu on Friday, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre.

The earthquake struck around Bhairab Kunda in the Sindhupalchok District in Nepal, close to the Himalayan mountain range that runs along the border with Tibet.

The German Research Center for Geosciences placed the magnitude of the earthquake at 5.6, and the depth at 10 km (6.21 miles) while the US Geological Survey pegged it at magnitude 5.5.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the earthquake.

Pasang Nurpu Sherpa, chairman of the Bhote Koshi rural municipality, where the epicentre is located, told Reuters, "I have no information of any damage so far. The earthquake has triggered a landslide at Dugunagadi Bhir across the river. There are no houses around the site of the landslide."

Kiran Thapa, district governor of Sindhupalchok, said, "One inmate of the district jail broke his hand while trying to run after the quake and he is now undergoing treatment at a hospital. One police post building developed minor cracks at Kodari."

"It shook us from our sleep strongly," Ganesh Nepali, a senior official of Sindhupalchok district, told Reuters. "We rushed out of our home. People have now returned home. We have not received any report of damage or injuries so far."