An earthquake on Tuesday morning damaged two houses in Thulung Dudhkoshi and Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipalities of Solukhumbu district.

According to police, a two-storey stone-and-mud home belonging to 50-year-old Harka Bahadur Khatri in Thulung Dudhkoshi-7 was damaged. Similarly, Ang Nima Sherpa’s two-storey home, made of stone and mud, in Khumbu Pasanglhamu-5 was also damaged.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Dwarika Prasad Ghimire said a police team has been deployed to the affected areas. Detailed damage assessments are yet to be reported.

Chief District Officer Anoj Kumar Ghimire said that all mechanisms, including the police, are on standby for possible rescue and relief efforts.

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocked the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities on Tuesday, killing at least 53 people and shaking buildings in neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India.