5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal: a) at least 157 fatalities, b) search and rescue should be focused on earthquake relief efforts

A strong earthquake claimed the lives of at least 157 people in the remote Jajarkot area of the Himalayan nation. The magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck late on Friday night at 11:47 pm (18:02 GMT) in the northwestern region, which has a population of approximately 190,000 people. Many survivors were forced to spend the night in the open due to their mud houses being reduced to rubble.

In the Jajarkot district, primarily an agricultural region, at least 105 people were confirmed dead, while the neighboring Rukum district reported 52 casualties. An additional 184 individuals sustained injuries. The regional hospital in Nepalgunj made over 100 beds available, with medical teams on standby to assist the injured. It should be mentioned that the tremors were felt as far as the capital, Kathmandu, approximately 400km away, and even as distant as the Indian capital, New Delhi, at about 600km.

Search and rescue operations terminated in Nepal, 36 hours after the disastrous earthquake that resulted in a widespread destruction of homes in the isolated northwest region. Harish Chandra Sharma, an official in Jajarkot district, emphasized that the current focus was on delivering relief to the victims, as they faced a challenging situation. Efforts were underway to distribute relief materials to those affected by the earthquake, but the goal was to reach all areas. Gopal Chandra Bhattarai, a provincial police spokesperson, indicated that officials had been in contact with all affected areas and had completed rescue operations. However, they remained on alert due to the region's remoteness.

During the initial aftermath of the earthquake, local residents urgently searched through the debris in the dark to rescue survivors from collapsed buildings, while others sought safety outdoors. Security forces were deployed by foot, and helicopters and small government planes were utilized to assist with search and rescue operations and transport the injured to hospitals. In some areas affected by landslides triggered by the earthquake, rescue and search teams worked to clear road access.

Nepal is situated on a major geological fault line where the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Eurasian plate, and earthquakes are a recurrent occurrence. In 2015, Nepal experienced two earthquakes that resulted in approximately 9,000 casualties, causing extensive destruction of towns, ancient temples, and historic sites, with over a million homes being destroyed.