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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Bill McLoughlin and Sami Quadri

Nepal earthquake: More than 150 people killed after thousands of houses collapse

At least 157 people died after a devastating earthquake struck Nepal.

Houses were destroyed and people were trapped in rubble when the 5.6-magnitude quake hit remote Jajarkot and Western Rukum, 300 miles from capital Kathmandu, on Friday.

Authorities on Monday pressed on with efforts to bring food, tents and medicine to the remote villages, many only reachable by foot.

Security forces were deployed to help rescue efforts, although many roads were blocked by landslides.

It was the country's deadliest tremor since 2015, when about 9,000 people were killed by two quakes that destroyed more than a million houses.

Since Friday's quake, thousands of buildings in Jajarkot and neighbouring Rukum West have collapsed or are now uninhabitable.

The National Emergency Operation Center in Kathmandu said that along with the 157 killed, at least 256 people were injured and 3,891 houses were damaged.

Rescue and search teams said on Monday that the first part of their mission - to rescue survivors, get the injured to treatment and search for bodies - was over.

“Now we are working on the second phase of our work to distribute relief material, get aid to the villagers, and at the same time we are collecting details about the damages,” said government official Harish Chandra Sharma.

In Khalanga, the capital of Jajarkot district, many survivors slept in the streets near damaged houses, wrapped in blankets to beat the cold.

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