At least 128 people were killed and hundreds were injured after a strong earthquake hit western Nepal Friday midnight, local media reported on Saturday, Reuters reports.
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the western Jajarkot district at around 23:47 local time (1802 GMT) with a depth of 10 km, according to Nepal's National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center (NEMRC).
Jajarkot district and its neighboring Rukum district have seen the most damage and casualties, and local officials warned the death toll could rise further as the search continues for those buried under the rubble.
Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed sorrow at the loss of lives and property in the quake and ordered immediate rescue and relief operations in a post on social media X, formerly known as Twitter.
He went to the affected area Saturday morning along with health workers, and helicopters were being mobilized for the rescue operation, Home Ministry spokesman Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said.
