6.6 magnitude earthquake rocks Nepal leaving at least six dead
Nepal is reeling after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake has left at least six dead. The quake has killed four children and two adults so far, with five others seriously injured. Several houses also collapsed, according to the western district of Doti’s superintendent of police. Most of the damage occurred in Doti, which is about 430 kilometres west of Kathmandu. According to the South China Morning Post, two people have been reported missing. Ram Upadhyay, an eyewitness to the quake, says he was in a nearby village when the quake hit at 2.12 am.
“It shook terribly and I rushed out immediately. Now we are collecting details including the dead bodies.”
A Nepali army ground rescue team rushed to the site, with two helicopters on standby in nearby towns. A senior bureaucrat of Doti district says more details are being collected from villages affected by the quake. The bureaucrat noted that one child was among those rescued from under the debris. Local media showed videos of rescuers digging to find victims after the same videos showed brick and mud houses being destroyed by the quake. New Delhi in neighbouring India also felt the earthquake.
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba offered his condolences on Twitter.
“I have instructed the relevant agencies to arrange immediate and proper treatment of the injured and the victims.”
The quake was centred about 158 kilometres northeast of the neighbouring Indian state of Uttar Pradesh’s city of Pilibhit. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Nepal’s seismological centre measured the earthquake as having a magnitude of 6.6, but the EMSC measured it at 5.6. Either way, the newest quake has not helped the country in its efforts to rebuild after two major earthquakes destroyed towns and ancient temples back in 2015. The country is still recovering from that quake, which caused 9,000 deaths and a US$6 billion blow to its economy.
