Nepal earthquake rattles New Delhi: Things to know

CHENNAI: An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 in Nepal early on Wednesday killed four children and two adults, seriously injured five others as several houses collapsed in the western district of Doti, and shook New Delhi in neighbouring India.

Local media showed mud and brick houses destroyed by the quake in the Himalayan country and rescuers digging through the rubble to look for survivors. At least two people are reported missing, said Nepali army spokesperson Narayan Silwal.

Women in the district, about 430 km (270 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu, were shown sitting in the open with babies wrapped in blankets to shield them from the cold. Volunteers rescued a cow trapped under the debris.

Here are the latest updates from the accident:

1) Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was on an election campaign in Western Nepal, is safe, a government spokesman said on Wednesday, hours after a powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit the remote and mountainous Doti district.

2) The epicentre of the quake was Doti district, just 160 km North of Dadeldhura, where Deuba, 76, was addressing rallies for the November 20 general elections, hours before the tremor struck the region.

3) At least six persons were killed and five injured after the earthquake occurred at 2:12 am with its epicentre at Khaptad National Park in the Doti district.

4) Deuba, President of the ruling Nepali Congress, was in Western Nepal for an election campaign. He attended election rallies and met people at Dhangadhi district, 160 km South of the epicentre.

5) The tremor was also felt in Dhangadhi though the Prime Minister is safe, Home Ministry spokesperson Phanindra Pokharel said.

6) Home Ministry spokesperson Pokharel said adjustments will be made regarding the election campaign of the Prime Minister in Western Nepal keeping in mind the incident.

7) Nepal is going for elections for the federal Parliament as well as the provincial assemblies on November 20. The elections will be important for Nepal to consolidate the democratic process and maintain stability in the landlocked Himalayan country.

(With inputs from agencies)