At least 128 individuals have tragically lost their lives and dozens more have been injured in Nepal as a powerful earthquake rocked the western region of Jajarkot, officials confirmed on Saturday. The earthquake, which struck at 11:47 p.m. (1802 GMT) on Friday, registered at a magnitude of 6.4 according to Nepal’s National Seismological Centre. However, conflicting reports from the German Research Centre for Geosciences and the U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 5.7 and 5.6 respectively.
This calamity marks the deadliest seismic event since the catastrophic earthquakes of 2015, which claimed the lives of around 9,000 people in Nepal. The recent quake caused extensive damage to houses, with reports of collapsed buildings in the epicenter area, approximately 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital city of Kathmandu. Tremors were also felt as far as New Delhi, India.
Officials are expressing concerns that the current death toll may rise, given the challenges of establishing contact in the remote hilly region near the epicenter. The affected district, with a population of 190,000, is scattered with villages in isolated hills, further complicating rescue efforts.
According to district official Harish Chandra Sharma, “The number of injured could be in the hundreds and the deaths could go up as well.” The casualties were reported primarily in Jajarkot and neighboring Rukum West district, both located in the Karnali province.
In response to the disaster, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal promptly dispatched a 16-member army medical team to oversee search, rescue, and relief operations. Expressing profound grief at the loss of life and property, Dahal urged security agencies to launch immediate rescue efforts.
Distressing images captured by local media show the ruins of multi-storied brick houses and panicked civilians running into the streets as some buildings were evacuated. The full extent of the devastation is still unfolding, with authorities on high alert for any potential increase in casualties.
