At least 157 people have been killed in an earthquake that struck a remote part of northwestern Nepal overnight on Friday and toppled multiple buildings, according to police, as officials warned that the death toll could rise.
The quake measured magnitude 5.6 according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and hit some 42 kilometers (about 26 miles) from Jumla, Nepal, in Karnali province. It struck at a comparatively shallow depth of 18 kilometers and the tremors could be felt as far away as India’s capital, New Delhi.
“We are only focused on search and rescue operation right now,” Nepal police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat told CNN Saturday. “That’s why we don’t yet have a proper estimate of collapsed and damaged houses and other infrastructure. There are some villages where an estimated 90% of houses have collapsed.”
According to Kadayat, 157 people have so far been confirmed killed and 170 injured, making Friday’s tremor the deadliest since 2015.
In Jajarkot district, close to the quake’s epicenter, 105 people were confirmed dead and another 55 injured. In nearby Rukum West district, 52 were killed and 85 injured, Kadayat said.
Footage from Reuters showed multiple houses reduced to smashed piles of bricks and timber in Jajarkot.
Earthquakes are common in Nepal, which lies where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet to create the towering Himalayan mountain range.
Source: cnn.com
