Lawmakers panicked and the building shook so much that Pratichya Mukhiya Tiwari, who was chairing the meeting, couldn't even manage to announce an adjournment of the sitting.
Speaker Subas Nembang let Tiwari chair the meeting as he himself needed to leave the hall briefly.CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Bihnu Paudel, who was addressing the House at the time of the tremor, didn't leave the rostrum even as Tiwari sped away without making any announcement.
Later, the parliament secretariat issued a notice informing that the next meeting will take place on Wednesday.
The exit doors and corridors of the hall were over-crowded as all the lawmakers tried to leave abruptly.
The exit doors and corridors of the hall were over-crowded as all the lawmakers tried to leave abruptly.
Lawmakers said Paudel stayed at the rostrum until the entire hall was empty.
"The tremor shook us as I was saying that we are at high risk of earthquake and it has been proved that we have zero readiness to face disaster," said Paudel after emerging outside.
As the meeting ended abruptly, the scheduled business couldn't get done. Speaker Nembang had earlier announced that the House would endorse a resolution on coping with the situation that has developed after the earthquake and on forming a cross-party high-level monitoring committee to oversee the tasks of rehabilitation and reconstruction.
After the lawmakers were out in the open space, they were all out in the open spaces, they were all trying desperately to contact their families.
A few minutes after the tremor, members of the general were allowed to enter the open space inside the boundaries of the parliament building.
As New Baneshwar square is one of the most crowded areas in the capital, hundreds of people took refuge in the open space in front of the parliament building.
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