At Least 157 Dead, 180 Injured In Nepal Earthquake, Death Toll Expected To Rise

NEPAL-EARTHQUAKE
Nepali policemen inspect the rubble of houses in Jajarkot district on November 4, 2023, following an overnight a 5.6-magnitude earthquake. At least 132 people were killed in an overnight earthquake of 5.6-magnitude that struck a remote pocket of Nepal, officials said on November 4, as security forces rushed to assist with rescue efforts. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP) (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images) — Nepali policemen inspect the rubble of houses in Jajarkot district on November 4, 2023, following an overnight a 5.6-magnitude earthquake. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s Abril Elfi
9:17 AM – Saturday, November 4, 2023

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake and a 4.0 magnitude aftershock has hit Northwestern Nepal leaving at least 157 people dead.

According to officials, at least 105 people were killed in the Jajarkot district, which is primarily agricultural, and 52 were killed in the nearby Rukum district. Another 184 people were injured.

On Friday, the first earthquake hit at around 11:47 p.m. Friday local time with a magnitude of 5.6, which was also felt in India and China, followed by an aftershock at 4:16 a.m. on Saturday that registered a magnitude of 4.0.

Nepal 🇳🇵Earthquake#earthquake #earthquakenepal #Nepal #earthquakedelhi #earthquakes #Delhi pic.twitter.com/H8QlgGTifY
— Dr Jain (@DrJain21) November 4, 2023

An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.8 struck near Paink, Nepal, on Friday at 11:32 pm local time. The tremors from the quake were felt in several regions including Nepal, India, China, and even the national capital region of Delhi, leaving residents in a state of shock pic.twitter.com/3sTSQOuKEY
— Sahab Ali Khan (@FastEarningTech) November 3, 2023

According to local media, most people who were killed were crushed by debris when their houses crumbled.

The high death toll is attributed to residents being asleep at the time of the incident. Additionally, most houses were not reinforced as they were made by stacking rocks and logs.

Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha released a statement on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the administration is attempting to get as much relief as possible to the impacted communities.

He added that tents, food, and medicine were airlifted in as thousands of people became displaced overnight.

हिजो राति गएको विनासकारी भूकम्पको क्षति बुझ्न, घाइतेहरूको उद्दार र पीडितको राहतका निम्ति प्रभावित क्षेत्रमा छु। पीडितलाई राहत र घाइतेहरूको उपचारका लागि सरकार गम्भीर रहेको जानकारी गराउँदै यस कार्यमा सहकार्य र हातेमालोका लागि सम्पूर्ण राजनीतिक दल र नागरिक समाजमा अपील गर्दछु। pic.twitter.com/P9jGJ0lBOa
— ☭ Comrade Prachanda (@cmprachanda) November 4, 2023

Bimal Kumar Karki, one of the first people to be brought to the regional hospital, spoke to the press about his experience living through the fatal earthquake.

“I was fast asleep when all of a sudden it started shaking violently. I tried to run but the whole house collapsed. I tried escaping but half my body got buried in the debris,” said Karki. “I screamed, but every one of my neighbors was in the same situation and screaming for help. It took nearly a half-hour to an hour before rescuers found me.”

Throughout the night, security personnel worked with villagers to rescue injured citizens from collapsed houses.

Authorities have stated that the death toll is expected to rise as more of the affected areas are searched.

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