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Dozens Dead In Nepal Quake

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent

KATHMANDU/NEW DELHI (Worthy News) – At least 37 people have been killed and dozens injured after a massive earthquake struck western Nepal on Friday, destroying houses and shaking buildings as far as New Delhi, India, officials said.

Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Center measured the quake at 6.4 magnitude. It said its epicenter was at the Jajarkot district of Nepal’s Karnali province, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of Kathmandu, the nation’s capital.

The U.S. Geological Survey had initially said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a depth of 17.9 kilometers (11.1 miles).

Witnesses said the quake struck just before midnight when many people already were asleep in their homes.

A police spokesperson said: “Houses have collapsed. People rushed out of their homes. I am out in the crowd of terrified residents. We are trying to find details of damages.”

Earthquakes are common in mountainous Nepal, but the latest tremor brought back memories of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2015. That quake reportedly killed some 9,000 people and damaged about 1 million structures.

The quake was also expected to impact minority Christians, who comprise some 4.4 percent of the mainly impoverished Hindu population of 30.5 million, according to Christian rights activists.