Earthquake of magnitude 6.6 strikes rocks western Nepal, with tremors reported as far away as New Delhi
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An earthquake hit west Nepal's highlands early Wednesday, killing at least six people who were sleeping in their homes, according to a government official.
An earthquake hit west Nepal’s highlands early Wednesday, killing at least six people who were sleeping in their homes, according to a government official.
The tremor was felt as far away as New Delhi, India’s capital, which is around 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of the epicentre.
According to Kalpana Shrestha, the chief officer of Doti district, six people were killed when their dwellings in a remote, sparsely populated mountain community were crushed. Five more people were hurt.
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the lower Himalayan region early Wednesday morning, November 9, causing tremors to tear through north India and portions of Nepal and jolting people out of their sleep in dozens of cities and villages. Strong earthquake shocks were felt in Delhi and the nearby areas of Ghaziabad and Gurugram, as well as in Lucknow, jolting people awake. Here are some recent developments:
The earthquake, which struck at 2:12 a.m. local time, frightened people in mountain communities, forcing many to spend the night outside, according to Shrestha.
She stated that security forces had been sent to the rural communities to assist with the rescue effort. There were reports of houses being damaged in various areas, but no fresh casualties were reported.
Videos released on social media showed residents moving debris by hand to find casualties buried by earthquake-damaged buildings, as well as shining cell phone lights to shift the heaps of wood and stones used to build dwellings in most mountain villages.
The majority of the mountain settlements can only be accessed by foot, and there are no highways to transport heavy equipment to aid in the rescue.
In a statement, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said he has directed government authorities to provide urgent support to victims and their families, as well as all necessary medical care to those injured.
The preliminary magnitude was 6.6, according to Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center. The early data of a 5.6 magnitude earthquake with a depth of 15.7 kilometres (9.8 miles) and an epicentre 21 kilometres (13 miles) east of Dipayal were released by the US Geological Survey.
Earthquakes are widespread in Nepal’s hilly terrain, which is home to the world’s tallest peak. In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed 9,000 people and injured thousands more.
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