After the deadliest earthquake to hit Nepal in eight years killed 157 people and rattled buildings as far away as New Delhi on Saturday, rescue workers in the country began digging into the rubble of fallen houses with their bare hands to look for survivors.
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the Jajarkot region in western Nepal at 11:47 PM (1802 GMT) on Friday, according to the Nepal National Seismological Centre. It was measured at 5.7 by the German Research Centre for Geosciences and 5.6 by the US Geological Survey.
As rescue workers only reached the hilly area around the epicentre early on Saturday, some 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu, officials worry the death toll could grow.
“The number of injured could be in the hundreds and the deaths could go up as well,” Harish Chandra Sharma, an official from the Jajarkot area, told Reuters by phone.
Officials have stated that the significant damage and death toll are attributable to the low quality of construction in the area and the fact that the quake occurred at night while most people were asleep.
Helicopters and small planes have been instructed to be ready to assist in the rescue attempt, but they warned that progress would be sluggish because rescue workers needed to first clear roads blocked by landslides in several places.
Earthquakes continue to rock India for a second day.
The two earthquakes in 2015 that killed roughly 9,000 people pale in comparison to the death toll from this one. More than a million homes were destroyed at a cost to the economy of $6 billion at the time, and entire cities and centuries-old temples and other historic landmarks were reduced to rubble.
Rama Acharya, an officer in the disaster department of the federal home (interior) ministry, told Reuters that 105 people had died in Jajarkot and 52 had died in the neighboring Rukum West district in Karnali province.
The epicentre was in the town of Ramidanda. According to the National Seismological Centre, Jajarkot experienced 175 aftershocks, six of which were magnitude 4 or higher.
Jajarkot has a population of 190,00, with communities spread out across inaccessible hills. Three towns and three villages were known to be affected.
An official from the prime minister’s office reported that at least 85 persons were injured in Rukum West and 55 in Jajarkot.
A plea for assistance
There have been numerous building collapses and widespread structural damage. Sharma reported that thousands of people had to spend the night outside in the freezing weather because they were too afraid to return to their damaged homes during the night.
“I have myself not been able to go in.”
Local news broadcasts showed rescue workers using their bare hands to sift through the rubble of collapsed buildings in search of survivors. A rescue chopper was seen transporting injured patients to nearby hospitals.
According to his office, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal flew to the area early on Saturday to monitor search, rescue, and relief efforts. He was accompanied by a 16-member army medical team.
Food, drink, clothing, and shelter were donated thanks to his office’s plea to political parties, social workers, and the public.
Narayan Kaji Shrestha, the country’s deputy prime minister, claimed that both India and China had offered assistance with rescue efforts.
We’ve informed them that we’re beginning a search-and-rescue mission and a relief effort right away. We will seek you for any support if required later,” he told Reuters.
According to army spokesman Krishna Bhandari, a small aeroplane carrying medical supplies and health professionals was forced to detour to adjacent Surkhet when it was unable to land in Chaurjahari in the adjoining Rukum district owing to inclement weather.
Multi-story brick buildings had their façade shatter, and enormous pieces of furniture were strewn about, as seen in local TV footage. People could be seen sprinting out into the street in videos uploaded to X as some buildings were evacuated.
New Delhi and other cities in north India, located around 600 kilometers (370 miles) away, also felt the earthquake, which shook buildings and sent people running into the streets.
There were no reports of damage in the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which border Nepal.
Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, expressed his sorrow over the deaths and destruction in Nepal.
The people of India are with the people of Nepal and are willing to help in any way they can. He then took to X to express his condolences to the victims’ loved ones and send well wishes to the injured.
