Rescuers race to find survivors of Nepal earthquake, 157 dead

KATHMANDU:

Rescue workers in Nepal began digging with their bare hands through the rubble of collapsed houses on Saturday, looking for survivors after the country’s worst earthquake in eight years killed 157 people and shook buildings as far away as New Delhi.

The earthquake struck Jajarkot district in the Himalayan nation’s west at 11:47 p.m. (1802 GMT) on Friday, with a magnitude of 6.4, according to Nepal’s National Seismological Center. The German Geoscience Research Center measured it at 5.7 and the US Geological Survey at 5.6.

Officials fear the death toll could rise as first responders arrived in the hilly area near the epicenter, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu, only early Saturday and began searching for survivors.

“The number of injured could be in hundreds and the death toll could also rise,” Jajarkot district official Harish Chandra Sharma said. Reuters by phone.

Although the magnitude of the quake was not severe, the damage and death toll is high because of poor construction in the area and because it struck while people were sleeping, officials said.

Rescue work is expected to be slow as emergency teams must first clear roads blocked by landslides in many places, they said, adding that helicopters and small planes have been asked to be ready to join the effort.

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The quake is the deadliest since 2015, when about 9,000 people were killed in two earthquakes. Entire cities, centuries-old temples and other historic sites were reduced to rubble then, with more than a million homes destroyed, at a cost to the economy of $6 billion.

The death toll included 105 people killed in Jajarkot and 52 in neighboring Rukum West district, both in Karnali province, said Rama Acharya, an official in the disaster division of the federal home ministry. Reuters.

The epicenter was in the village of Ramidanda. The National Seismological Center reported that 175 aftershocks were recorded in Jajarkot and six of them were magnitude 4 and above.

Three towns and three villages were known to be affected in Jajarkot, which has a population of 190,000 with villages scattered in remote hills, authorities said.

At least 85 people were injured in Rukum West and 55 in Jajarkot, an official in the prime minister’s office said.

Appeal for help

“Many houses have collapsed, many more have developed cracks. Thousands of residents spent the night in cold, open ground because they were too afraid to enter the cracked houses as the aftershocks struck,” Sharma said.

“I couldn’t get in myself.”

Local television channels showed rescuers digging through the rubble with their bare hands in search of survivors in the rubble of collapsed houses. The injured were taken to a rescue helicopter to be taken to hospitals.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal flew to the area early Saturday with a 16-member army medical team to oversee search, rescue and relief efforts, his office said.

His office appealed to political parties, social workers and the public to donate funds to help organize food, water, clothing and tents for the survivors.

Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said India and China have offered to help in search and rescue operations.

“We told them that we are conducting a preliminary search, rescue and relief operation now. We will ask you for any help if needed later,” he said. Reuters.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal speaks to rescued people after an earthquake in Jajarkot, Nepal November 4, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

A small plane carrying medical supplies and health workers was flown to nearby Surket after it failed to land at Chaurjahari in nearby Rukum district due to bad weather, army spokesman Krishna Bandari said.

Local media footage showed shattered facades of high-rise brick buildings, with large pieces of furniture scattered about. Videos on X showed people running in the street as some buildings were evacuated.

Tremors were felt in New Delhi, about 600 km (370 miles) away, and elsewhere in northern India, shaking buildings and sending people running into the street late at night.

Authorities in the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which border Nepal, said there were no reports of damage there.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the loss of life and damage in Nepal.

“India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to provide all possible assistance. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and we wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he posted on X.