6 killed after powerful earthquake shakes Nepal

An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck Nepal early Wednesday, killing at least six people and destroying multiple houses in the western district of Doti, close to populous towns, officials said.

Five other people were seriously injured as eight houses collapsed, said Bhola Bhatta, deputy superintendent of police in Doti, confirming an earlier figure shared by home ministry official Tulsi Rijal.

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 blow to the economy.

Narayan Silwal, spokesman for the Nepali army, said a ground rescue team has been rushed to the site and two helicopters were on standby 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 India's capital, New Delhi, and surrounding areas.

Source: Reuters