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Debris after the earthquake in the Jajarkot region of Nepal
Photo: Sunil Sharma / dpa
The west of Nepal has been shaken by an earthquake. At least 138 people were killed and at least 166 others were injured. The number of victims is likely to rise, especially since no confirmed information was initially available from several areas cut off from the outside world.
The quake had a magnitude of 6.4 according to measurements by the National Seismological Observatory (NEMRC), it occurred on Friday evening at 23:47 local time in the Jajarkot region. The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5.6.
Video footage on online services showed residents trying to free people from the rubble of collapsed houses in the dark. You can see damaged or completely collapsed mud buildings as well as people who are outdoors. Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal expressed his "deep sadness" over the "human and material damage" caused by the earthquake on the online service X, formerly Twitter. Three security services have been mobilized for the "immediate rescue and care of the injured."
In some cases, helpers can only arrive on foot and not by vehicle.
According to the USGS, the quake occurred at a depth of 18 kilometers below the earth's surface. Tremors were felt as far away as the Indian capital New Delhi, almost 500 kilometers from the epicenter of the quake. An hour after the first quake, an aftershock of magnitude 4.0 followed, according to the USGS.
Although the quake was not very strong, the damage could be enormous, government officials fear. On the one hand, the houses are often not built in such a way that they can withstand an earthquake. On the other hand, the earthquake occurred while people were sleeping. The affected areas are among the poorest in the poor country in South Asia. In some cases, there is a lack of roads and other infrastructure.
"We have reports that many people are buried under rubble," said Harishandra Sharma, an administrative representative in the Jajarkot district where the center of the quake was located. Shortly after the quake, rescue work had already begun in some affected places. On the other hand, the helpers were initially unable to reach other places in the mountainous Himalayan country because roads were blocked by landslides. In some cases, helpers can only arrive on foot and not by vehicle.
The Himalayan region, in which Nepal is located, is geologically extremely active. There, the Indian continental plate pushes under the Eurasian plate – which repeatedly leads to strong quakes. About eight years ago – in the spring of 2015 – a particularly severe earthquake shook the area around the capital Kathmandu and caused numerous buildings to collapse, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Around 9000,<> people lost their lives and millions were left homeless.
max/wbr/AFP/dpa