Nepal earthquake: Death toll rises to 143

At least 143 people were killed and over 150 others injured when a powerful 64 magnitude earthquake the worst since 2015 struck Nepal and destroyed hundreds of houses in the Himalayan countrys remote mountainous region officials said SaturdayAccording to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre the earthquake with an epicentre in Jajarkot district about 500km west of Kathmandu was recorded at 1147 pm on FridayFridays earthquake is the most devastating one in the country since the 2015 earthquake that killed around 9000 people in the country and injured more than 22000 peopleThe impact of the quake was felt in Kathmandu and surrounding districts and even in New Delhi in neighbouring IndiaThe Nepal Army mobilised its personnel Friday soon after the earthquake to carry out rescue works at the incident site according to Nepal Army spokesperson Krishna Prasad BhandariRescue workers on Saturday dug through the rubble of collapsed houses to find survivorsThe Jajarkot and Rukum districts of western Nepal were worst hit by the quake according to staterun Nepal TelevisionThe number of those killed in Jajarkot and Rukum due to the earthquake has climbed to 140 according to the Prime Ministers secretariatOver 150 people were injured in the incident The death toll is expected to riseDeputy Mayor Sarita Singh of Nalgadh Municipality in Jajarkot was among those killed in the quake officials saidAround 159 aftershocks have been recorded following last nights earthquake the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre reportedMany people spent the night in the open because of fear of further quakes and damage to their houses People were seen digging through the rubble in the dark to rescue trapped people from the remains of collapsed buildings according to posts on social mediaPrime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda on Saturday toured the quakehit region with a medical team Saturday morningDuring the visit he gathered information about the extent of the damage and inspected the affected areas alongside the Chief District Officer Later he returned to Surkhet from Jajarkot along with seven injured people and their family membersDahal is scheduled to return to the capital by a regular flight leaving the helicopter of the Nepali Army in which he initially travelled for rescue operationsBoth Nepal Army and Nepal Police personnel have been mobilised to carry out rescue work officials saidPrime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of lives and property in the earthquake on Friday night and has mobilised all the three security bodies for the immediate rescue and relief reads a post from the prime ministers office on XIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and damage due to the earthquake in NepalIndia 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 PM Modi posted on X tagging his counterpart PrachandaInjured people are undergoing treatment at the Surkhet District Hospital officials said Prime Minister Prachanda has instructed security agencies to immediately carry out rescue and relief worksPresident Ramchandra Paudel has expressed sadness over the loss of human lives and property in the earthquakeAccording to the Office of the President he has appealed to the government and all concerned to ensure effective rescue and relief work in the quakeaffected areasAs the roads were blocked and bridges damaged rescue and relief works on the incident site have been obstructed according to officialsThe government has authorised the immediate disbursement of Rs 100 million to aid the earthquake victimsAdditionally the Home Ministry decided to allocate Rs 55 million to the disaster relief funds of both the Jajarkot and Rukum West districts aiming to support the rescue and relief operations for the affected individualsThe Ministry of Home Affairs has dispatched initial relief supplies via the Nepali Armys helicoptersThe Nepali Congress party has also announced Rs 5 million in financial support to the government to help in the search rescue and rehabilitation effortsMinister for Health and Population Mohan Bahadur Basnet has said the government will provide free treatment to those injured in the earthquakeEarthquakes are common in Nepal which is situated on the ridge where the Tibetan and Indian tectonic plates meet and advance two meters closer to one another every century which results in pressure which is released in the form of earthquakesOn October 16 Nepals Sudurpaschim province was hit by a 48magnitude earthquakeOn October 22 a 61 magnitude earthquake hit Kathmandu the capital city of NepalA 3magnitude quake hit Nepals capital city Kathmandu on October 3A collision between Indian and Tibetan plates has been going on underground for a long time which has accumulated tremendous energy according to Bharat Koirala senior seismologist at the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre NepalMainly western Nepal is under the threat of bigger earthquakes he pointed outThe 2015 quake destroyed or damaged more than 800000 houses mainly in the western and central districts according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRCGovernment buildings some stretches of roads and Kathmandu Valleys famous historical monuments Unesco world heritage sites were destroyed or damaged with many villages north of Kathmandu flattenedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever