Earthquake in Western Nepal Claims 69 Lives, Prime Minister Orders Immediate Relief

At least 69 people were killed and dozens injured on midnight Friday when a shallow 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit western Nepal, officials said.

The earthquake jolted the western Jajarkot district at around 2:02 a.m. local time Saturday (1802 GMT Friday) with a depth of 18 km, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the US Geological Survey.

The quake killed at least 35 people in Rukum district and 34 others in neighbouring Jajarkot district, officials said.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed sorrow at the loss of life and property in the quake and ordered immediate rescue and relief operations in a post on social media X, formerly known as Twitter.

In 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed some 9,000 people and damaged more than half a million houses in the mountainous country. - IANS