A devastating earthquake struck western Nepal at midnight on Friday, claiming the lives of at least 69 individuals and leaving numerous others injured, according to officials.
The seismic event occurred in the western Jajarkot district at approximately 2:02 a.m. local time on Saturday, with a shallow magnitude of 5.6 and a depth of 18 km, as reported by the Xinhua news agency, citing data from the US Geological Survey.
The earthquake's impact was particularly severe in the Rukum district, where it claimed the lives of at least 35 people, and the neighboring Jajarkot district, where it resulted in the tragic loss of 34 lives, according to local authorities.
Expressing his condolences for the loss of lives and property caused by the earthquake, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal took to social media, formerly known as Twitter, to announce his order for immediate rescue and relief operations.
It's important to note that Nepal has a history of earthquakes, with a major 7.8-magnitude quake in 2015 that claimed the lives of approximately 9,000 people and caused extensive damage to over half a million homes in the mountainous nation.
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