Six dead after powerful earthquake hits Nepal
An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck Nepal early Wednesday_ killing at least six people_ destroying multiple houses in the western district of Doti and shaking the Indian capital New Delhi_ officials said.
Five other people were seriously injured as eight houses collapsed_ said Bhola Bhatta_ Doti's deputy superintendent of police_ confirming an earlier figure shared by home ministry official Tulsi Rijal.
Local media showed visuals of mud and brick houses destroyed by the quake and rescuers digging through the rubble to look for survivors. At least two people are reported missing_ said Nepali army spokesman Narayan Silwal.
Nepal is still rebuilding after two major earthquakes in 2015 killed almost 9_000 people_ destroyed whole towns and centuries-old temples and caused a 6 billion dollar blow to the economy. Doti is about 430 km (270 miles) west of the capital_ Kathmandu.
Eyewitness Ram Upadhyay_ chairman of the Purbi Chowki rural municipality in Doti district_ said he was in a nearby village when the quake struck at 2.12 am Nepal time. 'It shook terribly and I rushed out immediately. Now we are collecting details including the dead bodies.'
Nepal's Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba_ writing on Twitter_ offered condolences to the families of the victims. 'I have instructed the relevant agencies to arrange immediate and proper treatment of the injured and the victims.'
A ground rescue team of the Nepali army has been rushed to the site_ said spokesperson Silwal_ and two helicopters were on stand by in nearby Surkhet and Nepalgunj towns.
Nepal's seismological centre set the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.6. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) had pegged the earthquake at a magnitude of 5.6.
The quake was centred about 158 km (100 miles) northeast of Pilibhit_ a populous city in the neighbouring Indian state of Uttar Pradesh_ and occurred at a depth of 10 km_ EMSC added.
Media reports after the quake showed tremors were also felt in New Delhi and surrounding areas_ some 350km from Doti.
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