Powerful earthquake hits western Nepal, six killed; PM Deuba campaigning for election is safe
Kathmandu (PTI): At least six persons were killed when a powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake jolted the remote mountainous region of western Nepal on early Wednesday, close to where Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was campaigning for the upcoming elections.
According to the National Seismological Centre, the earthquake occurred at 2:12 am with its epicentre at Khaptad National Park in the Doti district of the quake-prone Himalayan nation, damaging scores of houses and sparking panic among the people who were sleeping.
Six persons have been killed and five sustained injuries in the earthquake, Home Ministry spokesperson Phanindra Pokharel told PTI over phone.
According to Nepal Army spokesperson Narayan Silwal three persons were missing and are believed to have been trapped in the housing collapse in Purvichauki. The Nepal Army has started searching for the missing persons, he said.
Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba who is also in Western Nepal for an election campaign is safe. He was attending election rallies and meeting people at Dhangadhi district, 160 km South of the epicentre.
Nepal will be going for elections for the federal Parliament as well as the provincial assemblies on November 20.
The tremor was also felt in Dhangadhi though the Prime Minister is safe, according to Pokharel.
Adjustments will be made regarding the election campaign of the Prime Minister in Western Nepal keeping in mind the incident, he added.
Deuba has instructed officials to arrange immediate and proper treatment of injured in the earthquake-affected areas.
"I pay homage to those killed in the Dadeldhura earthquake and my condolences to the bereaved family members," Deuba tweeted.
"I also instruct the concerned authorities to speed up rescue and relief works and treatment of those injured in the incident," he added.
The Nepal Army and the Nepal Police personnel have been mobilised to carry out rescue operations.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhola Bhatta, the acting chief at the District Police Office in Doti, said that all the victims were killed by the debris of the houses damaged during the earthquake.
The identities of the deceased have been established of which two are women, two men, and two minors, Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhola Kumar Bhatta was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times newspaper.
The earthquake sent people in the mountain villages panicking out of their houses and many spent the entire night out in the open, officials said.
Nearly eight houses collapsed in the quake and cracks had developed in most of the houses in the aftermath of the geological event.
Images shared by the Nepal Army showed rescue operations by them to find the victims buried by the earthquake-damaged houses. Videos posted on social media showed villagers moving debris by hand and trying to retrieve their belongings.
Those injured in the earthquake last night are undergoing treatment at the Doti Hospital.
A spokesperson of the Nepali Army Narayan Silwal said that the injured were rescued by a team of security personnel, including the Nepali Army and taken to the Doti Hospital by helicopter.
They were rescued by helicopter from Dhangadhi in Surkhet and Kailali. Along with the rescue, a team has been deployed in the area for those who urgently need food and tents, according to the Army.
The tremors were also felt in neighbouring Dhangadhi and Kailali districts.
The earthquake that was felt mildly in Kathmandu and parts of India has also caused damage to dozens of other houses in the district.
Earlier, a 5.7-magnitude tremor was recorded at 9.07 pm and another 4.1-magnitude tremor at 9.56 pm on Tuesday at the same epicentre, according to the Seismological Centre.
Earthquakes are frequent in mountainous Nepal.
On October 19, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal's capital Kathmandu and adjoining areas, forcing many people to rush out of their homes for safety.
The earthquake was felt in the Kathmandu Valley and neighbouring districts. There was no report of any damage or casualties.
In April 2015, a devastating earthquake of 7.8-magnitude rocked Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and wounding nearly 22,000 others. It also damaged over 800,000 houses and school buildings.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
