6.6 magnitude quake hits Nepal in wee hours of Wednesday, 6 dead, strong tremors felt in India

Strong tremors shook Indian capital Delhi and adjoining areas early Wednesday morning after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. Atleast six people died in the Doti district of Nepal, including three who were killed due to a house collapse. Two of the deceased were children.

Pictures from the area show mud and brick houses destroyed by the earthquake and rescuers digging through the rubble to look for survivors. Nepali army spokesperson Narayan Silwal said that two people are missing. At least five people have sustained serious injuries.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba offered condolences to the families of the victims. "I have instructed the relevant agencies to arrange immediate and proper treatment of the injured and the victims," he said.

At around 2 am, people were shaken up from their sleep and rushed outside as the intensity of the tremors was extremely strong. The tremors lasted for around 10 seconds and were felt by Noida and Gurugram residents as well. The National Centre for Seismology said that the depth of the quake was 10 kilometres.No reports of damage were reported from India where the tremors were also felt in Ghaziabad and Lucknow.

The quake was centred about 158 km northeast of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Nepal's seismological centre set the magnitude at 6.6. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) had pegged the earthquake at a magnitude of 5.6.

Nepal felt tremors at 8:52 pm on Wednesday that measured 4.9 on the Richter Scale. In total, three quakes have struck Nepal in the past 24 hours, including an aftershock.

(With inputs from agencies)

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