2023-11-04 05:00:18
The death toll from a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in western Nepal has risen to 132. (Europa Press/Sunil Sharma)
At least 132 people were killed by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake recorded this Friday in a remote area of western Nepal, according to information from local authorities who deployed security forces to help in rescue efforts.
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The earthquake had its epicenter 42 km south of Jumla, near the border with Tibet, and was located only 18 kilometers deep, according to the United States Geological Service.
“92 people died in Jajarkot and 40 in Rukum,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, referring to the two districts hardest hit by the shock.
The tremor was located at a depth of 18 kilometers and was felt in the capital of India, New Delhi, located almost 500 kilometers from the epicenter.
National police spokesman Kuber Kathayat said authorities had counted more than 100 injuries in these two districts.
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Videos and photographs posted on social media showed local people digging through the rubble of destroyed buildings in search of survivors.
Mud houses collapsed or were severely damaged and survivors fled to safety outside, where the sirens of emergency vehicles might be heard.
The earthquake left at least 60 dead
The shock was felt in the capital of India, New Delhi, located almost 500 kilometers from the epicenter.
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Karnali provincial police spokesman Gopal Chandra Bhattarai explained that they had deployed a large number of security forces to assist in search and rescue efforts.
“The isolation of the districts makes it difficult for information to reach,” he said. “Some roads were blocked due to the damage, but we are trying to reach the area through alternative routes.”
The district hospital was filled with residents bringing people injured by the earthquake.
Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal traveled to the affected area following expressing “his deep sorrow for the human and physical damage caused by the earthquake.”
His Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life. “India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is prepared to extend all possible assistance,” he added.
“92 people died in Jajarkot and 40 in Rukum,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, referring to the two districts hardest hit by the shock.
Nepal is located on a major geological fault line where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas, and where earthquakes are common.
Nearly 9,000 people died in Nepal in 2015 when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the country and destroyed more than half a million homes.
The earthquake destroyed some 8,000 schools, leaving almost a million children without classes.
It also collapsed hundreds of monuments and royal palaces, including UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley, dealing a serious blow to tourism.
It is estimated that the economic losses from the disaster were $7 billion.
In November 2022, six people were killed in another 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Doti district near Jajarkot.
Indian users on social networks then indicated that they had noticed the tremor in the northern cities of Lucknow and Patna.
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