Western Nepal - A devastating earthquake struck remote western Nepal on Friday, resulting in the loss of more than 100 lives. The rugged districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum, located 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of Kathmandu, bore the brunt of the disaster, prompting the deployment of security forces to assist in rescue efforts.
The impact of the earthquake reverberated far beyond its epicenter, with strong tremors felt in the Nepalese capital and in cities across neighboring India, including Delhi. As rescue efforts intensify, the army spokesperson reported that more than 100 individuals have been injured, and Jajarkot's hospital is currently overwhelmed with the wounded.
In the wake of the initial earthquake, three more tremors were felt within an hour, leaving many residents fearing additional quakes and potential damage to their homes. Local media captured scenes of multi-storied brick houses with crumbled facades, and citizens worked tirelessly in the darkness, using social media to share posts of survivors being pulled from the remains of collapsed buildings.
Nepal's Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, arrived in the affected region on Saturday. He expressed his deep sorrow for the loss of life and property on the social media platform X. He promptly ordered security agencies to initiate rescue and relief operations. Unfortunately, these operations face challenges as landslides triggered by the earthquake have blocked critical roads.
Suresh Sunar, the police chief of Jajarkot district, emphasized the difficulties in obtaining a comprehensive overview of the situation. He stated, "I am out in the open myself. We are collecting details, but due to cold and the nighttime conditions, it is challenging to obtain information from remote areas."
The earthquake was registered at 23:47 local time (18:02 GMT) by Nepal's Monitoring and Research Centre. The US Geological Survey recorded the earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 and classified it as a shallow earthquake, indicating that it occurred closer to the earth's surface.
Nepal, located along the Himalayan region, is prone to seismic activity. Just last month, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake caused injuries in the western district of Bajhang. The nation still bears the scars of the devastating earthquakes in 2015, which claimed 9,000 lives and left 22,309 people injured.
The first of these earthquakes, on April 25, 2015, measured 7.8 in magnitude and caused the majority of the damage and loss of life. Numerous aftershocks followed, including a 7.3-magnitude quake in May of that year. These earthquakes led to the destruction or damage of over 800,000 houses, primarily in the western and central districts, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The earthquakes also devastated government buildings, road segments, and several UNESCO world heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley.
