Nepal's National Seismological Centre said the quake occurred at 11.47pm local time in Jajarkot district of Karnali province. Photo: Google Maps
At least 128 people were killed and dozens injured after a strong earthquake struck western Nepal on Friday, as witnesses said it caused houses in the area to collapse and buildings in New Delhi, India to shake.
Earlier, Jajarkot local official Harish Chandra Sharma said at least 34 people had been killed in his district while in neighbouring Rukum West district, police official Namaraj Bhattarai said at least 28 deaths had been reported.
"Rescue and search teams have to clear roads blocked by dry landslides due to the earthquake to reach the affected areas," Bhattarai said.
Ramidanda, where the epicentre lies, has not been reached by authorities yet.
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. "We have mobilised rescue personnel."
Nepal's National Seismological Centre said the quake occurred at 11.47pm local time in Jajarkot district of Karnali province. Jajarkot is about 500km west of the capital Kathmandu.
The Nepal centre said the quake was a magnitude 6.4 but the German Research Centre for Geosciences later downgraded the magnitude to 5.7 and the US Geological Survey pegged it as a magnitude 5.6.
"We have confirmed reports that five people of a family have died in Aathbiskot village. There are reports of more deaths. We cannot confirm that," Namaraj Bhattarai, a police official in neighbouring Rukum West district told Reuters, adding that police were on the way to the site.
Local media footage showed crumbled facade of multi-storied brick houses.
Tremors were felt in neighbouring districts and as far away as the national capital of 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 shook buildings in New Delhi, about 600km away, according to Reuters' witnesses. Videos on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showed people running onto the street as some buildings were evacuated.
The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) pegged the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.2 and depth of 10km.
In 2015, about 9000 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.
- Reuters