Six dead after 6.6 magnitude earthquake hits Nepal

An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck Nepal early on Wednesday, killing at least six people, destroying multiple houses in the western district of Doti and shaking the Indian capital New Delhi, Reuters quoted officials as saying.

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

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A ground rescue team of the Nepali army has been rushed to the site, and two helicopters were on stand by 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 New Delhi and surrounding areas, some 350km (220 miles) from Doti.

WAM