The 57 members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team were about to return home when a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Nepal. It’s the second major quake there in three weeks.
A search and rescue team from Fairfax County is safe after another deadly earthquake struck Nepal Tuesday.
The 7.3 magnitude earthquake killed at least 42 people and wounded over 1,000, NBC News reports.
Fairfax County fire officials say the team and the combined USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team is safe and doing well. The building they're staying in was also deemed safe to occupy.
They were close to coming home, though: Team members were about to get on a plane this morning when the second quake struck.
The earthquake came less than three weeks after 8,000 people died when a 7.8-magnitude quake rocked the Himalayan country on April 25.
The new quake triggered a renewed panic and sent residents in the the capital city of Kathmandu streaming into the streets. Shockwaves were felt across northern India and as far away as New Delhi — 550 miles from the quake's epicenter near Everest Base Camp, about 51 miles east of Kathmandu.
The team was set to fly home today, but it's not clear whether those plans have changed.
