At least 132 people were killed in an overnight earthquake that struck a remote pocket of Nepal, officials said Saturday, as security forces rushed to assist with rescue efforts.
The 5.6-magnitude quake hit the far west of the Himalayan country late Friday and was measured by the US Geological Survey at just 18 kilometres (11 miles) deep.
Videos and photos posted on social media showed locals digging through rubble in the dark to pull survivors from the wreckage of collapsed homes and buildings.
Mud houses were flattened or damaged as survivors crouched outside for safety, the sirens of emergency vehicles wailing.
The quake was felt as far away as India’s capital New Delhi, nearly 500 kilometres from the epicentre, 42 kilometres south of Jumla.
“Ninety-two people died in Jajarkot and 40 in Rukum,” home ministry spokesman Narayan Prasad Bhattarai told AFP, referring to the two districts hit worst by the quake.
National police spokesman Kuber Kathayat said authorities had tallied more than 100 others injured across both districts.
Security forces have been deployed to assist with search and rescue operations, Karnali Province police spokesman Gopal Chandra Bhattarai told AFP.
“The remoteness of the districts makes it difficult for information to get through,” he added.
“Some roads had been blocked by damage, but we are trying to reach the area through alternate routes.”
The district hospital was packed with residents bringing in injured victims.
