Days after devastating floods battered parts of Nepal, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s northwestern Mustang district on Tuesday night (Sep 8), with tremors felt in at least three neighbouring districts.
According to official data from the National Centre of Seismology, the seismic activity occurred at 9:38 PM IST. The epicentre was recorded at latitude 29.022° N and longitude 83.978° E in northwestern Nepal. The event registered at a depth of 143 kilometres below the surface. Due to the relatively deep focus of the earthquake, surface impact was limited. No immediate casualties or major structural damage have been reported as the situation is being assessed. The earthquake occurred at 9.53 pm, with its epicentre at Lomanthang in Mustang, around 375 km northwest of Kathmandu, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre. Tremors were also felt in Manang, Dolpa and Myagdi districts.
Nepalfaced a catastrophic humanitarian crisis last month as flash flood Bhote Koshi River led to the death of 1,357 people with several missing even as search and rescue operations enter their fourteenth day. Nepal's economic losses from the flash floods are estimated at $2.56 billion in raw direct damages, with broader economic impacts and long-term recovery costs projected to soar between $4 billion and $7 billion, according to Reuters. Nepal Police informed that 1,366 casualties have been reported, while 4,077 individuals remain unaccounted for across the disaster zone. The official breakdown of recovered victims includes 533 men, 339 women, and 502 partial human remains. Out of the total recoveries made so far, police authorities have successfully verified and handed over 102 bodies to their families for final rites. To preserve unidentified remains safely, 1,147 bodies have been buried underground under strict forensic guidelines.
India is helping Nepal in rescue operation. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said Indian and Nepalese teams continued efforts to manually clear debris and mud from the Chilime tunnel. In a post on X, Srivastava said, “Chilime Tunnel Rescue Operation update: India and Nepal teams continued their efforts to manually clear the tunnel of debris and mud. To overcome the challenge posed by sloping tunnel teams have deployed HDPE pipes to ensure smooth movement inside the tunnel." He said work was also progressing on creating a temporary track from Syafrubesi to the tunnel portal through controlled blasting. (ANI)
