Following a powerful earthquake in western Nepal’s mountainous region, thousands of people were compelled to spend Saturday night exposed to the cold outdoors. The 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Nalgad Municipality in Jajarkot district, causing panic and devastation. Bhawana Pun, one of the affected residents, remained sleepless on Saturday night, with continuous aftershocks and the spectacle of neighbors sleeping outside their damaged homes. The earthquake’s epicenter was in Jajarkot, around 500 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, and the Rukum districts in western Nepal also sustained significant damage, leaving 157 dead and approximately 253 injured.
Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre recorded around 159 aftershocks on Saturday. The Ministry of Home Affairs initiated relief efforts through the Army’s helicopters, and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ toured the earthquake-affected region alongside a medical team. During his visit, he assessed the extent of the destruction and inspected the impacted areas. The Nepal government, although not rushing to seek foreign assistance for search and rescue operations and relief distribution logistics, is expected to decide on a special relief package for quake victims in a Cabinet meeting. They have already allocated financial aid to the most affected districts of Jajarkot and Rukum West.
Search and rescue operations have been mobilized by state security agencies, with nearly 4,000 personnel from the Nepal Army, the Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Police deployed to Jajarkot and Rukum. These teams include soldiers trained in rescuing people from collapsed structures and providing immediate responses. Additionally, volunteers from organizations like the Nepal Red Cross Society are actively involved in relief efforts. While the earthquake has left communities in distress, efforts are underway to provide assistance and relief to the affected population.
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