A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook northwestern Nepal just before midnight Friday, killing at least 138 people with dozens more injured. Officials said the death toll was expected to rise as rescuers searched the Himalayan villages where communication was cut off.
Earthquakes are common in mountainous Nepal.
Here are some of the strongest in recent history:
— July 29, 1980: At least 200 die and thousands are injured after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hits Nepal-India border.
— Aug. 20, 1988: The Himalayan nation's capital is rocked by a 6.9 quake, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring thousands.
— April 25, 2015: A 7.8 magnitude earthquake kills some 9,000 people, the worst in Nepal’s history, and damages about 1 million structures. The previous deadliest earthquake that struck the region was in 1934 with over 8,000 fatalities.
— May 12, 2015: One among about two dozen aftershocks of the April 25 earthquake kills over 200 people and injures more than 2000.
— Nov. 10, 2022: At least 6 people are killed after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake rocks the mountains of west Nepal.
— Nov. 3, 2023: A 5.6 magnitude quake hits northwestern Nepal, killing at least 138 and injuring dozens.
