An earthquake hit Nepal late last night and has claimed more than 120 lives. According to measurements from the US Earthquake Observatory (USGS), it had a magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a depth of about 18 kilometers; the Nepal National Earthquake Observatory (NEMRC) reported a magnitude of 6.4. The center was therefore about 400 km northeast of the capital Kathmandu.
Contacting the affected Jajarkot district was difficult at night. A police spokesman reported early in the morning that at least 128 people had died as a result of the strong earthquake. Dozens of other people were also injured. The number of victims is likely to increase, especially since there was initially no confirmed information from several areas cut off from the outside world.
“We have reports that many people are buried under the rubble,” said Harischandra Sharma, an official with the Jajarkot district administration. Shortly after the earthquake, rescue work began in some affected areas. However, helpers were initially unable to reach other locations because roads were blocked by landslides.