The death toll from Tuesday's earthquake continues to rise, as the nation of Nepal states at least 76 have died from the quake. A U.S. Marine helicopter, which disappeared on the same day of the quake, remains missing.
Tuesday's earthquake had an epicenter just 52 miles east of Kathmandu, and brought down many buildings that were already in precarious condition from the major quake back in April 25. The most recent quake had a magnitude of 7.3 and was followed by another quake of 6.3 magnitude less than an hour later. Aftershocks continue to rattle the nation on Wednesday.
The quake had caused major landslides and blocked many roads. Aid workers traveling to certain areas of Nepal had to hike around the debris. Nepal emergency officials stated on Tuesday that thousands were injured in Tuesday's quake.
Infrastructure and basic sanitation are difficult to achieve in Nepal after the quakes. Aid workers are working tirelessly to provide basic food, shelter, and sanitation for the residents of Nepal. Hundreds of thousands of Nepalese are without homes at the moment.
Tuesday's earthquake reached parts of India and China as well, with some 17 Indians killed as a result of the tremor. The quake also caused a U.S. Marine chopper to go missing, despite search efforts; it was carrying six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers. The U.S. military is conducting constant aerial search runs in order to locate the craft, which has been missing for 24 hours.
The Marine chopper, a Bell UH-1 or "Huey", went missing during a mission to an isolated location in the mountains. Originally from Camp Pendleton, California, the utility helicopter was dropping off rice, tarps, and other relief supplies to isolated villages in the mountainous regions. On its second stop, the helicopter lost contact with the base.
Officials stated on Tuesday that they were hopeful the craft did not crash. However, due to the difficult terrain, signs of the helicopter may not be visible. The mountains also block radio transmission between the base and the chopper. Officials are hopeful that the Huey is simply out of fuel and unable to contact base.
