New Delhi: Nepal was hit by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake on Monday, days after 157 people were killed and dozens injured when a strong quake struck the Himalayan country. The tremors were felt in neighbouring India also.
The first earthquake 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 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. 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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sadness over the loss of lives and damage caused by the earthquake. "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," Modi said in a post on X.