Over a hundred lives were lost following an earthquake that struck the remote western regions of Nepal on Friday.
In response, military units have been sent to aid in the rescue operations within the challenging terrains of the Jajarkot and West Rukum districts, located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.
The earthquake’s vibrations were strong enough to be perceived in the distant capital of Nepal and even in urban areas of neighboring India, such as Delhi.
An army representative reported that injuries have exceeded a count of 100. The local hospital in Jajarkot is currently overwhelmed with injured individuals.
Following the initial quake, three subsequent shocks occurred within the span of an hour, prompting many to remain outdoors overnight due to the fear of additional tremors and potential damage to their homes.
Local media displayed video clips showing the ruins of multi-storied brick buildings. Nighttime scenes of individuals sifting through debris to rescue those trapped in the aftermath of the collapsed structures were shared across social platforms.
Nepal’s Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, is believed to have departed towards the quake-affected zone.
He conveyed his profound grief for the lives and properties lost to the quake in a post on platform X, assuring that he had directed security forces to embark on immediate rescue and relief actions.
However, these search and rescue endeavors face obstacles as landslides, induced by the earthquake, have blocked roadways.
Suresh Sunar, the police chief of the Jajarkot district, communicated to Reuters that assembling a full picture of the situation is challenging.
“I am out in the open myself. We are collecting details but due to cold and night it is difficult to get information from remote areas,” Mr Sunar conveyed to Reuters.
The quake was recorded at 23:47 local time (18:02 GMT) by Nepal’s Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center.
The earthquake registered a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale, as determined by the US Geological Survey, indicating that it was a shallow seismic event occurring near the Earth’s surface.
Located along the Himalayan mountain range, Nepal experiences a high frequency of seismic disturbances.
Previously in the last month, a quake of magnitude 6.3 was documented in the western district of Bajhang, causing injuries.
In 2015, Nepal was struck by two catastrophic earthquakes leading to the death of 9,000 individuals and injuries to 22,309.
On April 25, 2015, a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck, resulting in significant destruction and fatalities. It was followed by numerous aftershocks, including a substantial one with a magnitude of 7.3 in May.
As reported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the seismic activity led to the ruin or impairment of over 800,000 homes, predominantly in the central and western regions.
