Magnitude 7.3 Earthquake Strikes Nepal, At Least 36 Dead in Second Major Quake

At least 36 people were reported dead Tuesday after a 7.3 earthquake struck near Mount Everest in Nepal, less than a month after a deadly 7.8 earthquake struck the Asian country, killing over 8,000.

Nepalese Home Ministry Spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal told reporters Tuesday that the most recent tremor has caused injuries for over 1,000 people. Some officials have suggested that the most recent quake will up Nepal's reconstruction costs to another $1 billion.

Jamie McGoldrick, Nepal's resident coordinator for the United Nations, told the New York Times on Tuesday that the number of casualties and injuries cannot be confirmed yet.

"We're obviously hearing of buildings destroyed, buildings collapsed, buildings falling, we're hearing about casualties, but the numbers are not known yet," McGoldrick told the media outlet.

Nepal is still reeling from the April 25 earthquake that killed over 8,000 people and injured over 18,000, forcing many in major city centers such as Kathmandu to sleep in the streets for fear of more building collapses.

According to CNN, the April 25 earthquake was reportedly more than three times bigger and 5.6 times stronger than the earthquake that occurred Tuesday, with its epicenter being between Kathmandu and Mount Everest.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala released a statement calling for "courage and patience" in light of the new quake, suggesting that those who helped with the massive April 25 earthquake "once again extend your helping hand" to those in need.

Following the April 25 earthquake, there had been protests by some in Nepal who argued that aid was not reaching them swiftly enough, but rather was only being delivered to district centers.