Deadly 5.6 earthquake hits western Nepal (Watch Video)

The quake struck the Jajarkot region in the west of the Himalayan nation at 11:47 p.m. (1802 GMT) on Friday, November 3rd, with a 6.4 magnitude, Nepal’s National Seismological Centre said. The German Research Centre for Geosciences measured it at 5.7 and the U.S. Geological Survey at 5.6.

Officials fear the death toll could rise as first responders had reached the hilly area near the epicenter, some 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu, only early on Saturday and began searching for survivors.

The quake is the deadliest since 2015 when about 9,000 people were killed in two earthquakes. Whole towns, centuries-old temples, and other historic sites were reduced to rubble then, with more than a million houses destroyed, at a cost to the economy of $6 billion. View comments

JAJARKOT, Nepal – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck northwestern Nepal on Friday night, killing over 150 people. First responders are now reaching the hilly area near the epicenter, with fears the death toll may rise.

Citing local officials, Reuters reported that at least 157 people have died, with dozens more injured, as the quake shook buildings as far away as New Delhi in India.

“The number of injured could be in the hundreds, and the deaths could go up as well,” Jajarkot District Official Harish Chandra Sharma told Reuters by phone.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude 5.6 earthquake at 11:47 p.m. Friday local time, followed by an aftershock at 4:16 a.m. Saturday registering a magnitude of 4.0. The epicenter of the earthquake and its aftershock were detected in the Jajarkot district.

Officials said the poor quality of construction and the fact that the quake struck while people slept would likely result in extensive damage and a high death toll despite its lower magnitude, Reuters reported.

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Nepal’s prime minister said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that security agencies have been mobilized to respond to the disaster.

“Preparations are being made to send medicine, medical personnel and a helicopter to rescue the injured,” a translation of the message read.