In Nepal, following the most severe earthquake in eight years, whichclaimed the lives of 137 people and caused buildings to tremble as far asNew Delhi, rescue workers commenced the arduous task of sifting through thedebris of collapsed houses on Saturday.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.4, struck at 11:47 p.m. on Friday,as reported by Nepal’s National Seismological Centre. However, the GermanResearch Centre for Geosciences measured it as 5.7, a downgrade from 6.2,while the U.S. Geological Survey estimated it as 5.6.
This earthquake marked the deadliest event since 2015 when two earthquakesin Nepal resulted in the loss of approximately 9,000 lives. Those disastersreduced entire towns, ancient temples, and historical sites to ruins, withover a million houses destroyed, incurring an economic cost of $6 billion.
Authorities are concerned that the death toll could rise as firstresponders reached the hilly area near the epicenter, which isapproximately 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu, only earlyon Saturday and began searching for survivors.
Jajarkot district official Harish Chandra Sharma stated, “The number ofinjured could be in the hundreds, and the death toll could also increase.”In terms of casualties, 92 people were reported killed in Jajarkot and 36in the neighboring Rukum West district, both located in Karnali province.
The epicenter was situated in the village of Ramidanda. Rukum West had atleast 85 injured individuals, and Jajarkot reported 55, with an additional50 people receiving medical attention in Jajarkot alone. The widespreaddestruction prompted numerous residents to spend the night outside in openareas, as many houses had either collapsed or developed significant cracksdue to the aftershocks.
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Efforts in search and rescue were impeded by landslides triggered by theearthquake, necessitating the clearing of blocked roads. Prime MinisterPushpa Kamal Dahal arrived in the affected region early on Saturday,accompanied by a 16-member army medical team, to supervise search, rescue,and relief operations.
Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of life and property, Prime MinisterDahal utilized a social media platform to order security agencies toinitiate immediate rescue and relief operations.
Media footage depicted the damaged facades of multi-story brick houses,along with scattered pieces of furniture, and people evacuating somebuildings as a precaution. Police officials and local residents reportedthe chaos and fear that ensued as the earthquake struck.