AT LEAST 157 people were killed and over 160 others injured when a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake, the worst since 2015, struck Nepal and destroyed hundreds of houses in the Himalayan country’s remote mountainous region, officials said on Saturday. According to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre, the earthquake with an epicentre in Jajarkot district, about 500km west of Kathmandu, was recorded at 11:47 pm on Friday. Friday’s earthquake is the most devastating one in the country since the 2015 earthquake that killed around 9,000 people in the country and injured more than 22,000 people. The impact of the quake was felt in Kathmandu and surrounding districts, and even in New Delhi in neighbouring India.

 

The Nepal Army mobilised its personnel Friday soon after the earthquake to carry out rescue works at the incident site, according to Nepal Army spokesperson Krishna Prasad Bhandari. Rescue workers on Saturday dug through the rubble of collapsed houses to find survivors. The Jajarkot and Rukum districts of western Nepal were worst hit by the quake, according to state-run Nepal Television. The number of those killed in Jajarkot and Rukum due to the earthquake has climbed to 140, according to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. Over 150 people were injured in the incident. The death toll is expected to rise. Deputy Mayor Sarita Singh of Nalgadh Municipality in Jajarkot was among those killed in the quake, officials said. Around 159 aftershocks have been recorded following last night’s earthquake, the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre reported. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and damage due to the earthquake in Nepal.

 

“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,” Modi posted on X tagging his counterpart Prachanda. Strong tremors felt in several Bihar districts, none hurt: Strong tremors were felt in several districts of Bihar as an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck neighbouring Nepal, officials said on Saturday. However, no loss of life or damage to property was reported in the state. According to the Bihar Disaster Management Department, the tremors were felt in Patna, Katihar, East Champaran, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, West Champaran, Sasaram, Nawada and several other districts along the India-Nepal border.

 

“There were no reports of any loss of life or damage to property due to the earthquake,” the department said in a statement issued here on Saturday. Mild tremors felt in Jharkhand, no injuries reported: Several districts of Jharkhand felt mild tremors due to the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal, officials said on Saturday. However, there was no report of loss of life or property in any part of the State. Ranchi, Hazaribag, Garhwa, Koderma, Ramgarh and some other parts of the State experienced mild tremors on Friday night. The mild jolts triggered panic among people. Residents of Ranchi claimed they experienced jolts two times for around four to five seconds. “Jharkhand experienced mild tremors, caused by the earthquake in Nepal,” Ranchi Meteorological Centre in-charge Abhishek Anand told PTI.