Earthquake in Nepal kills at least 37 people – with more deaths expected to be confirmed | World News

An earthquake in Nepal has killed at 37 people – with more deaths expected to be confirmed, officials say.

The magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the west of the country as many people were already asleep on Friday night.

Witnesses said it caused houses to collapse and communications to many villages are said to have been cut.

The quake struck at 11:47pm (6.02pm GMT) in Jajarkot district of Karnali province – 310 miles (500km) west of the capital Kathmandu.

Local media footage showed crumbled houses.

“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,” said a police official.

The tremors were felt as far away as Kathmandu and New Delhi in India, according to witnesses.

At least 20 people were killed in Rukum district, said police official Narvaraj Bhattarai, while another 17 were confirmed dead in Jajarkot, according to government official Harish Chandra Sharma.

The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at a depth of 11.1 miles (17.9km).

Earthquakes are common in Nepal – a 7.8-magnitude quake in 2015 killed about 9,000 people and damaged around a million structures.

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