Days After 157 Killed In Strong Earthquake, Another One Hits Nepal

Nepal was hit by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake today, days after 157 people were killed and dozens injured when a strong quake struck the Himalayan country. The tremors were felt in neighbouring India.

The first earthquake this week occurred on Friday with a magnitude 6.4, Nepal's National Seismological Centre said. The German Research Centre for Geosciences measured the quake at 5.7, downgrading it from 6.2, while the US Geological Survey pegged it at 5.6.

The death count in Friday's earthquake in Jajarkot could rise, officials feared, as they had not been able to establish contact in the hilly area near the epicentre, some 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu, where tremors were also felt. The district has a population of 190,000 with villages scattered in remote hills.

The search and rescue operation was also blocked by landslides, triggered by the earthquake, which hit the roads to reach the affected areas, Nepal police officer said.

Since the quake, thousands of buildings in Jajarkot and neighbouring Rukum West district have collapsed or developed cracks making them uninhabitable.

Survivors said they heard the loud noises of collapsing buildings soon after the quake struck.

Local media footage showed crumbled facades of multi-storied brick houses, with large pieces of furniture scattered. Videos on X showed people running into the street as some buildings were evacuated.

The earthquake was the deadliest since 2015 when about 9,000 people were killed in two earthquakes in Nepal. Whole towns, centuries-old temples and other historic sites were reduced to rubble then, with more than a million houses destroyed, at a cost to the economy of $6 billion.