Daijiworld Media Network - Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Apr 4: Two successive earthquakes rattled western Nepal on Friday evening, causing panic in several districts though no casualties or major damages have been reported so far, officials confirmed.

According to the National Earthquake Monitoring Centre, the first quake — measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale — struck at 8:07 pm local time, with its epicentre located in the Panik area of Jajarkot district, approximately 525 km west of Kathmandu. Merely three minutes later, at 8:10 pm, a stronger tremor measuring 5.5 magnitude followed in the same location.

The twin quakes were felt widely across adjoining districts including Surkhet, Dailekh, and Kalikot, prompting residents to rush out of their homes in fear. Local authorities, however, have stated that there are no immediate reports of loss of life or structural damages.

Jajarkot and surrounding areas lie in a seismically sensitive zone, and residents remain on high alert as aftershocks are possible. Officials are currently assessing the impact and monitoring for any signs of delayed structural damage.

Nepal, which sits atop the active Himalayan seismic belt, has a long history of earthquakes, including the devastating 7.8 magnitude quake in 2015 that claimed nearly 9,000 lives.