• Intense tremor kills over 120 lives in Nepal.
• This is the deadliest in Nepal since the devastating earthquakes in 2015.
• The tremors were felt in regions as far away as New Delhi in neighboring India.

A powerful earthquake struck the western region of Jajarkot in Nepal, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 128 lives and leaving dozens injured.

The earthquake, which occurred at 11:47 pm (1802 GMT) on Friday, had a magnitude of 6.4 according to Nepal’s National Seismological Centre, but there were variations in measurements by other sources, with the German Research Centre for Geosciences registering it at 5.7 and the US Geological Survey at 5.6.

This earthquake is the deadliest in Nepal since the devastating earthquakes in 2015, which claimed the lives of approximately 9,000 people.

Officials expressed concerns that the death toll from Friday’s quake might increase, as communication was difficult in the hilly area near the epicenter, approximately 500 kilometers (300 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.

The tremors were felt in regions as far away as New Delhi in neighboring India. The affected district, Jajarkot, has a population of 190,000, with scattered villages in remote hills.

Harish Chandra Sharma, an official from Jajarkot district, stated, “The number of injured could be in the hundreds, and the death toll could rise as well.”

According to police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat, 92 people lost their lives in Jajarkot, and 36 in the neighboring Rukum West district, both within Karnali province. The quake’s epicenter was located in the village of Ramidanda.

At least 85 people were injured in Rukum West and 55 in Jajarkot, as per an official from the prime minister’s office in addition to the casualties.

Sharma also mentioned that around 50 people were hospitalized in Jajarkot alone. Many houses had collapsed, and others had developed structural cracks.

Numerous residents spent the night outdoors on cold, open grounds due to fear of entering damaged homes as aftershocks continued. Sharma noted, “I have not been able to enter my own house either.”

Search and rescue teams faced the challenge of clearing roads blocked by landslides triggered by the earthquake to reach the affected areas, according to police officer Namaraj Bhattarai.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal traveled to the affected area early on Saturday with a 16-member army medical team to oversee search, rescue, and relief efforts, as confirmed by his office. Expressing profound sorrow for the loss of life and property caused by the quake, Dahal took to social media and ordered security agencies to initiate immediate rescue and relief operations.

Footage from local media depicted the collapsed facades of multi-story brick houses, with significant debris scattered around. Videos on social media showed people evacuating buildings and running into the streets as the earthquake struck.

“Houses have collapsed. People rushed out of their homes. I am out in the crowd of terrified residents. We are trying to find details of damage,” described police official Santosh Rokka via phone.

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