4-11-2023 (KATHMANDU) A powerful earthquake rocked western Nepal on Friday, resulting in the deaths of at least 69 people and numerous injuries. Witnesses reported house collapses and trembling buildings that were felt hundreds of miles away.
Nepal’s National Seismological Centre initially measured the quake’s magnitude at 6.4. However, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) later downgraded it to 5.7, while the US Geological Survey reported it as 5.6.
Local authorities have struggled to establish contact with the region near the epicentre in Jajarkot, a hilly district with a population of 190,000 and numerous remote hillside villages.
Harish Chandra Sharma, a local official from Jajarkot, stated that at least 34 people had died in his district. In the neighbouring Rukum West district, police official Namaraj Bhattarai reported at least 35 deaths.
Rescue and search teams have been working to clear roads blocked by dry landslides resulting from the earthquake to reach the affected areas, according to Bhattarai.
Authorities have not yet reached the epicentre in Ramidanda.
Around 20 individuals have been transported to the hospital with injuries, as reported by Suresh Sunar, a district official from Jajarkot. He mentioned the challenges of collecting information from remote areas due to the cold and nighttime conditions.
The earthquake struck at 11:47 pm (18:02 GMT) in Jajarkot, a district located in the Karnali province, as per Nepal’s National Seismological Centre. Jajarkot is situated about 500 km (310 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.
Local media footage revealed the crumbled facades of multi-story brick houses. The tremors were felt in nearby districts and reached as far as Kathmandu. Witnesses reported that buildings shook in New Delhi, which is approximately 600 km (375 miles) away. Videos shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) depicted residents fleeing into the streets and some buildings being evacuated.
