BAJURA, JANUARY 25

An earthquake with its epicentre somewhere near Bichhyan of Himali Rural Municipality, Bajura, hit the area yesterday afternoon.

The 5.9 magnitude quake occurred at 2:43pm, and according to District Police Office Chief DSP Surya Bahadur Thapa, they are yet to collect details of the damage.

One person, Jamuna Rokaya of Ward No 2 of Gaumul Rural Municipality was identified as casualty of the quake till the time this news was prepared. Besides, dozens of houses are said to be damaged. As of now, police have confirmed that 20 houses were fully destroyed and 70 others received damage.

According to police, collecting details of damage in Bichhyan itself and the entire rural municipality has been impossible owing to the lack of telecommunication services.

'Immediately after the quake, we were able to get through to the Bichhyan Police Post and we learned that houses, including the one housing the police post, had developed cracks due to the tremor, but weren't able to establish any contact ever since,' said DSP Thapa, adding the telecommunication link disruption could be because of the heavy snowfall.

Himali Rural Municipality Chief Administrative Officer Raj Bahadur Bhandari spoke of the difficulty in rescue and relief distribution at the epicentre.

'As it's two days' trek to the place and details of damage haven't been established yet, it has made rescue and relief distribution in Bichhyan and the vicinity difficult,' he said.

Bhandari said they had sent text message to the ward chairpersons after all of them couldn't be contacted on the phone.

'On the one hand, there is continuous heavy snowfall and rain, and on the other, this quake has damaged homes,' said Lal Bahadur Rokaya of Gaumul Rural Municipality.

'People fear living in their own houses, but again can't come out as it's snowing outside.

The condition is really terrifying,' he said.

In Ward No 1 of Gaumul Rural Municipality, Ramdal Bohora was injured in the forest where he had gone to graze his sheep. According to him, 50 to 60 sheep died from a landslide caused by the quake.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 26, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.