Earthquake in Nepal kills at least 69, tremors felt in north India New Delhi
Strong quake jolts Nepal, tremors felt in north India New Delhi
KATHMANDU, Nov 4 – At least 69 people were killed and dozens injured in Nepal on Friday when a strong earthquake struck the western area of Jajarkot. The impact was so high that houses in the area collapsed and buildings as far as New Delhi, India, shook.
National Seismological Centre in Nepal said the quake was recorded at a magnitude 6.4 but the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) later downgraded the magnitude to 5.7 while the U.S. Geological Survey recorded it as a magnitude 5.6.
Local officials said it had not been possible to establish contact in the area near the epicenter in Jajarkot, a hilly district with a population of 190,000 and villages scattered in remote hills.
Jajarkot local official Harish Chandra Sharma informed that at least 34 people had been killed in his district while in adjoining district Rukum West district, at least 35 deaths had been reported.
Ramidanda, where the epicentre lies, has not been reached by authorities yet.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed deep sorrow at the loss of life and property in the quake and ordered security agencies to launch immediate rescue and relief operations, in a post on social media X, formerly known as Twitter.
Nepal’s National Seismological Centre said the quake occurred at 11:47 p.m. (1802 GMT) in Jajarkot district of Karnali province. Jajarkot is about 500 km (310 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu.
Tremors were felt in neighbouring districts and as far away as Kathmandu.
The earthquake shook buildings as far as New Delhi, about 600 km (375 miles) away.
Videos on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showed people running onto the street as some buildings were evacuated.
In 2015, about 9,000 people were killed in two earthquakes in Nepal. Whole towns, centuries-old temples and other historic sites were reduced to rubble, with more than a million houses destroyed, at a cost to the economy of $6 billion.
Source : Reuters
