Magnitude 5.6 earthquake shakes western Nepal

KATHMANDU: A shallow 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit a remote pocket of western Nepal on Friday, the US Geological survey said, with tremors felt across several cities in northern India.

There were no immediate damage reports from the quake, which struck shortly before midnight at a depth of 18-kms below ground, near sparsely populated Jumla district.

Moderate tremors were felt as far away as India´s capital New Delhi, nearly 500-kms from the quake´s epicentre. Indian social media users also reported feeling the quake in the northern cities of Lucknow and Patna.

Six people died in November 2022 when a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Doti district, not far from Jumla. Nearly 9,000 people died in 2015 when a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Nepal, destroying more than half a million homes.