An earthquake struck Nepal’s western area of Jajarkot at 11:47 p.m. on Friday, resulting in the loss of at least 128 lives and leaving dozens injured.
The earthquake also sent tremors as far as New Delhi in neighboring India was measured at magnitude 6.4 by Nepal’s National Seismological Centre.
However, various institutions gave slightly different measurements, with the German Research Centre for Geosciences measuring it at 5.7 and the U.S. Geological Survey pegging it at 5.6.
Officials are worried that the death toll from this recent quake could rise even further.
They have been unable to establish contact in the hilly area near the epicenter, which is approximately 500 kilometers west of the capital, Kathmandu.
The Jajarkot district, where the quake struck, is a remote and sparsely populated region with scattered villages in the hills.
Harish Chandra Sharma, a Jajarkot district official, expressed concerns, saying, “The number of injured could be in the hundreds, and the deaths could go up as well.”
The local police spokesman Kuber Kadayat reported 92 people killed in Jajarkot and 36 in the neighboring Rukum West district, both in Karnali province.
In Jajarkot alone, approximately 50 people were being treated in hospitals.
Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal promptly flew to the affected region with a 16-member army medical team to oversee search, rescue, and relief efforts.
He expressed deep sorrow at the loss of life and property and ordered security agencies to launch immediate rescue and relief operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India also expressed his grief over the loss of lives and damage caused by the earthquake in Nepal.
In a tweet, he said, “India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to extend all possible assistance. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families, and we wish the injured a quick recovery.”
