NEPAL
\nAt least 143 people were killed in an overnight earthquake that struck a remote pocket of Nepal, officials said on Saturday, as security forces rushed to assist with rescue efforts.
\nThe 5.6-magnitude quake hit isolated western districts of the Himalayan Republic late on Friday and was measured by the US Geological Survey (USGS) at just 18 kilometres deep.
\nThe force of the tremor jolted households awake and flattened mud houses in communities across the impact site.
\n\u201cIt came when we were sleeping,\u201d Kamala Oli, a woman cradling her infant child at a hospital treating survivors, told AFP.
\n\u201cThere were three of us in the house. Only two of us lived,\u201d she added, without giving further details.
\nDozens of survivors with fractures and head injuries were raced for treatment to a hospital in Nepalgunj, a small city near the Indian border.
\nFootage of the quake\u2019s aftermath posted on social media showed locals digging through rubble in the dark to pull survivors from the wreckage of collapsed homes and buildings, as others crouched outside for safety.
\nThe quake was felt as far away as India\u2019s capital New Delhi, nearly 500km from the epicentre.
\n\u201c105 people have died in Jajarkot and 38 in Rukum,\u201d national police spokesman Kuber Kathayat told AFP, referring to the two districts hit worst by the quake.
\nAuthorities had tallied more than 100 others injured across both districts, he added.
\nSecurity forces have been deployed on foot and in helicopters to assist with search and rescue operations.
\n\u201cThe remoteness of the districts makes it difficult for information to get through,\u201d Karnali Province police spokesman Gopal Chandra Bhattarai told AFP.
\n\u201cSome roads had been blocked by damage, but we are trying to reach the area through alternate routes.\u201d The district hospital was packed with residents bringing in injured victims.
\nResponding to the disaster, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said, \u201cPakistan stands with Nepal during this difficult time and is ready to extend whatever assistance is required.
\n\u201cOur thoughts and prayers are with those affected by last night\u2019s earthquake in Nepal that has resulted in loss of precious lives and property.\u201d
\nForeign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said, \u201cDeeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and devastation caused by earthquake in Nepal.
\n\u201cWe stand in solidarity with the people of Nepal at this tragic time. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this calamity. Pakistan [stands] ready to extend all possible support.\u201d
\n\u2018Human and physical damages\u2019
\nNepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal arrived at the site of the quake on Saturday after expressing \u201chis deep sorrow over the human and physical damage caused by the earthquake\u201d.
\nIn neighbouring India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d by the loss of lives.
\n\u201cIndia stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to extend all possible assistance,\u201d he added.
\nNepal lies on a major geological faultline where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence.
\nNearly 9,000 people died and more than 22,000 were injured in 2015 when a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Nepal, destroying more than half a million homes.
\nIt damaged or destroyed nearly 8,000 schools, leaving almost one million children without classrooms. Hundreds of monuments and royal palaces \u2014 including the Kathmandu Valley\u2019s Unesco World Heritage sites \u2014 that had drawn visitors from around the world were destroyed, in a major blow to tourism.
\nSix people died in November last year when a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Doti district, near Jajarkot.
\nIndian social media users reported feeling Friday\u2019s quake in the northern cities of Lucknow and Patna. It was followed several hours later by an aftershock in the same area with a 4.0 magnitude, USGS said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEPAL At least 143 people were killed in an overnight earthquake that struck a remote pocket of Nepal, officials said on Saturday, as security forces rushed to assist with rescue efforts. The 5.6-magnitude quake hit isolated western districts of the Himalayan Republic late on Friday and was measured by the US Geological Survey (USGS) at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-366144","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n