Nepal earthquake kills at least 69 – with more deaths expected to be confirmed

World

An earthquake in Nepal has killed at 69 people – with more deaths expected to be confirmed, officials say.

The earthquake struck the west of the country as many people were already asleep on Friday night.

Witnesses said it caused houses to collapse and communications to many villages are said to have been cut.

The quake struck at 11:47pm (6.02pm GMT) in Jajarkot district of Karnali province – 310 miles (500km) west of the capital Kathmandu.

Nepal’s National Seismological Centre said the magnitude was 6.4, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 5.6.

Local media showed crumbled houses while videos on X showed people running into the street as some buildings were evacuated.

“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 damages,” said a police official.

At least 35 people were killed in Rukum West district, said police official Namaraj Bhattarai, while at least 34 were confirmed dead in Jajarkot, according to government official Harish Chandra Sharma.

Witnesses said the tremors were felt as far away as Kathmandu and New Delhi in India.

The quake occurred at a depth of 11.1 miles (17.9km), according to the USGS.

Earthquakes are common in Nepal – a 7.8-magnitude quake in 2015 killed about 9,000 people and damaged around a million structures.

Articles You May Like

Spain to legalise 300,000 undocumented migrants a year
Kia is slowing EV9 output in the US despite a hot sales start: Here’s why
Instagram unveils new feature as govt tightens online safety rules
Solar and storage projects make headlines, but will they survive? (Interview)
Biden allows Kyiv to begin firing US rockets deep into Russia – as politician warns it ‘risks World War Three’