After a powerful 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, rescuers combed through mountain communities, finding at least 69 dead and numerous injured, according to officials cited by the Associated Press. Officials noted that several locations had their connectivity cut off and said they expected the toll to increase. The US Geological Survey reports that the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and happened at a depth of 11 miles. The National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre of Nepal reports that Jajarkot, some 250 miles northeast of Kathmandu, was the epicenter of the earthquake
At least 36 people have died as a result of the earthquake in Rukum district, where several houses have fallen, according to police officer Narvaraj Bhattarai, who spoke with the AP over the phone.
According to Bhattarai, thirty injured people have already been taken to the nearby hospital. 34 people were reported deceased in the nearby Jajarkot district, according to government administration officer Harish Chandra Sharma. He said that in the dead of night, security guards were assisting people in extracting the wounded and deceased from collapsed homes. He did notice that some of the locations were challenging to get to since landslides caused by the earthquake and its aftershocks had obstructed some of the pathways. According to the prime minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal, “his deep sorrow over the human and physical damage caused by the earthquake” was conveyed.
Using X (formerly Twitter), PMO Nepal announced, “Honourable Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” has mobilized all three security agencies for the immediate rescue and relief of the injured and has expressed his deep sorrow over the human and material damage caused by the earthquake at Ramidanda in Jajarkot at 11:47 on Friday night.”
