Magnitude 5.6 quake hits western Nepal, death toll rises to 140

Survivors are seen at the Jajarkot district hospital in the aftermath of an earthquake in Jajarkot on November 4. (Image: AFP)

A powerful earthquake hit the western area of Jajarkot in Nepal on November 3, resulting in the death of at least 140 people and over 100 injured. Witnesses reported that houses collapsed in the area, and buildings shook as far as New Delhi.

The Nepal National Seismological Centre initially reported the magnitude of the quake as 6.4, but the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) later downgraded it to 5.7, and the US Geological Survey recorded it as a 5.6 magnitude quake. Officials said that they had not been able to make contact with the area near the epicenter in Jajarkot, which is a hilly district with a population of 190,000 people, and villages scattered in remote hills.

Ramidanda, where the epicentre lies, has not been reached by authorities yet.

The office of Nepal's Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has announced that all three security agencies in the country have been mobilized for the immediate rescue and relief of the injured.

The country's home ministry has also reported injuries and damage to property in other districts, including Dailekh, Salyan, and Rolpa. Prime Minister Dahal expressed deep sorrow for the loss of life and property caused by the earthquake and has ordered security agencies to launch immediate rescue and relief operations. He posted about this on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

At least 20 people were rushed to hospital with injuries, Jajarkot district official Suresh Sunar told Reuters by phone.

"I am out in the open myself. We are collecting details but due to cold and night it is difficult to get information from remote areas," he told Reuters.

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.

Local media footage showed crumbled facades of multi-storied brick houses, with large pieces of furniture scattered.

Tremors were felt in neighbouring districts and as far away as Kathmandu, residents said.

"Houses have collapsed. People rushed out of their homes. I am out in the crowd of terrified residents. We are trying to find details of damages," police official Santosh Rokka told Reuters by phone.

The earthquake was so powerful that it caused buildings to shake as far as New Delhi, which is approximately 600 km (375 miles) away, as reported by Reuters witnesses. Several videos posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showed people evacuating certain buildings and running into the street.

In Nepal, two earthquakes in 2015 claimed the lives of about 9,000 people, causing many towns, centuries-old temples, and other historic sites to be reduced to rubble. The destruction of more than a million houses resulted in a cost of $6 billion to the economy.