at least 132 dead after an earthquake in the west of the country

At least 132 people died in an earthquake in Nepal, where relief efforts are being organized to search for survivors, according to a new report on Saturday, November 4, from the Nepalese authorities. The 5.6 magnitude earthquake was measured at a depth of 18 km according to the American Geological Survey USGS. It hit the far western Himalayan country late Friday evening. Its epicenter was located 42 km south of Jumla, not far from the border with Tibet.

Nepali security forces have been widely deployed in earthquake-hit areas to assist in relief operations, according to Karnali provincial police spokesperson Gopal Chandra Bhattarai. “The isolation of districts makes it difficult to transmit information”, he added. Videos and photos posted on social media show residents digging through rubble in the dark to extract survivors from collapsed buildings. Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal arrived in the affected area on Saturday after expressing “his deep sadness for the human and physical damage caused by the earthquake”.