Almost 160 dead in earthquake in Nepal
At least 157 people died in a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in western Nepal on Saturday night. In the worst-hit districts of Jajarkot and Rukum, 199 more people were injured, according to the spokesman of the national police authority, Kuber Kathayat. The tremors were felt as far away as the Indian capital New Delhi, 500 kilometers away. According to the US earthquake observatory USGS, the center of the quake was at a depth of 18 kilometers in the far west of the Himalayan state, not far from the border with Tibet. According to the USGS, an aftershock of magnitude 4.0 followed an hour after the quake.
Many people were surprised by the earthquake in their sleep late on Friday evening. Numerous mud houses collapsed. "It happened while we were sleeping," said Kamala Oli at the hospital in Nepalgunj. "There were three of us in the house. Only two of us survived," she said as she cradled her baby in her arms. Dozens of survivors with broken bones and head injuries were brought to the clinic in the small town near the border with India for treatment.
Quake in remote mountainous region
According to the national police spokesman, at least 105 people died in Jajarkot and 52 in Rukum. According to a spokesman for the police in Karnali province, Gopal Chandra Bhattarai, numerous security forces were deployed on foot or by helicopter to support the rescue efforts. As the quake occurred in a remote mountainous region, it was difficult to obtain information, he said. Some roads were blocked after the earthquake, but attempts were being made to reach the affected area by other means.
The Nepalese head of government Pushpa Kamal Dahal visited the earthquake region to see the effects. He had previously expressed his "deep sorrow" on the online service X (formerly Twitter) in view of the "human and material damage" caused by the earthquake. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his "deep sorrow" for the victims. India "stands in solidarity with the Nepalese people" and is ready to "provide all possible assistance".
Nepal lies at the fracture point of two earth plates
Nepal is frequently shaken by earthquakes. The country is located at a fault between the Indian and Eurasian continental plates, the collision of which created the Himalayas. In November 2022, six people died in a magnitude 5.6 quake in the district of Doti, which borders the district of Jajarkot that has now been hit.
In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 quake killed almost 9,000 people and injured more than 22,000. Numerous historically and culturally significant buildings were severely damaged at the time - including in the Kathmandu Valley, which is popular with tourists.
Source: www.ntv.de
