Jajarkot: An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck western Nepal on late Friday night, resulting in the death of at least 140 deaths and over a dozen injuries. The officials said that the toll is expected to rise further.

Local official, Harish Chandra Sharma noted that there have been 17 fatalities within the Jajarkot district. Meanwhile, in North India, residents of high-rise societies swiftly evacuated to the streets as the strong tremors lasted for over a minute. National Centre for Seismology confirmed the tremors through a tweet on X. “Earthquake of Magnitude: 6.4, Occurred on 03-11-2023, 23:32:54 IST, Lat: 28.84 & Long: 82.19, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Nepal”, wrote the NCS.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths. “Deeply saddened by loss of lives and damage due to the earthquake in Nepal. India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to extend all possible assistance. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and we wish the injured a quick recovery”, wrote PM Modi on X.

Both Nepal Army and Nepal Police personnel have been mobilized to carry out rescue work. The earthquake occurred near the western temple town of Jumla in Nepal, at around 11:32 pm as per the NCS. The epicentre was located at Jajarkot, which is roughly 250 miles northeast of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Center. Earlier on October 22, Nepal’s Kathmandu was an epicenter to an earthquake of magnitude 6.1. Fortunately, there have been no reports of casualties or damage resulting from this tremor. Nevertheless, the shockwaves were felt in various other districts, spanning the Bagmati and Gandaki provinces.