Earthquake in Western Nepal leaves 69 dead, 20 injured

An earthquake struck on the night of November 3 in the western Jajarkot region of Nepal, 500km from the capital Kathmandu, killing at least 69 people and injuring 20 others.

Local officials said they were unable to contact the area near the epicenter in Ramidanda village in Jajarkot district, a mountainous district with a population of about 190,000 people scattered across remote hills.

Search and rescue teams are working to clear roads blocked by landslides to reach affected areas. Witnesses confirmed that many houses and buildings have collapsed or been damaged.

In a message posted on social network X, Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed grief over the loss of life and property in the earthquake. He also ordered security agencies to immediately launch rescue and relief operations.

Previously, the Nepal National Seismological Center announced that a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred at 11:47 p.m. local time on November 3 (1:02 a.m. Vietnam time on November 4) in Jajarkot district, Karnali province.

However, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) later downgraded the magnitude to 5.7, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) determined the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6.