Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 rocked the country of Nepal, west of Jajarkot, killing 128 people. The earthquake occurred at 23.47 Nepal time.

Apart from killing 128 people, the earthquake also left dozens of people injured. Houses in the area collapsed and buildings in New Delhi, India shook.

The quake was the deadliest since 2015 when around 9,000 people died in two earthquakes in the Himalayan country. Entire cities, centuries-old temples and other historical sites were reduced to rubble, with more than a million homes destroyed.

The earthquake is estimated to have caused economic losses of US$ 6 billion or the equivalent of Rp. 93.5 trillion (assuming an exchange rate of Rp. 15,589 per US$).

“Many houses collapsed, many others cracked. Thousands of residents spent the whole night in the open and cold because they were too afraid to go into their cracked houses when the aftershocks hit. I myself couldn’t go in,” said Jajarkot district official Harish Chandra Sharma , reported by Reuters, Saturday (4/11/2023).

Officials feared the death toll in the quake would rise because they were unable to make contact in hilly areas near the epicenter, about 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu, where tremors were also felt. The district has a population of 190,000 with villages scattered across remote hills.

“The number of injured victims could reach hundreds and the number of deaths could also increase,” continued Sharma.

Meanwhile, the earthquake also caused landslides. That way, search and rescue must clear roads blocked by landslides to reach the affected areas.

Police spokesman Kuber Kadayat said 92 people were killed in Jajarkot and 36 in neighboring Rukum West district, both in Karnali province. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Ramidanda Village.

At least 85 people were injured in Rukum West and 55 in Jajarkot, an official in the prime minister’s office said, with at least 50 people being treated in hospitals in Jajarkot alone.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(dce)