Deadly earthquake hits Western Nepal; death toll in the remote villages of Karnali is now 125

Kathmandu: Deadly earthquake hits Western Nepal. The death toll in the remote villages of Karnali is now 125 with hundreds injured, but these figures are expected to rise.

Bheri Hospital, Kohalpur Medical College, Nepalgunj military hospital and Police Hospital have been made dedicated hospital for the earthquake-affected. All heli-operators in Nepal have been told to be on standby and and regular flight movement has been suspended to facilitate the airlifting of injured from affected areas. Instructions have been given to station an ambulance at Nepalgunj Airport and military barrack helipad: Nepal officials .

The earthquake has severely hit Bheri, Nalgad, Kushe, Barekot and Chedagad in Jajarkot district. All the security forces in the district have been mobilised in the search and rescue work. “Prime 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 minister’s office on X.

Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Center located the epicenter in Jajarkot, which is approximately 250 miles northeast of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.

The Rukum district suffered the loss of at least 36 lives, as numerous homes collapsed due to the quake, as confirmed by Chief District Officer of Rukum West Hari Prasad Pant. A total of 30 injured individuals have been taken to the local hospital.

In the neighbouring Jajarkot district, government administration official Harish Chandra Sharma said that 34 people were tragically confirmed dead as a result of the earthquake.