KATHMANDU, Nepal — A magnitude 6.4 earthquake shook northwestern Nepal on Friday night, killing at least 37 people and injuring dozens more, according to officials.
As rescuers searched the mountainous villages where the earthquake struck, officials cautioned that the death toll was expected to rise, noting that communications were cut off with many of the affected areas.
The earthquake killed at least 20 people in Rukum District, where numerous houses collapsed, a police official, Narvaraj Bhattarai, said over the telephone.
In neighboring Jajarkot District, 17 people were confirmed dead, according to Harish Chandra Sharma, a government official.
Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center measured the earthquake at 6.4 magnitude and said its epicenter was in Jajarkot, in Karnali Province. Jajarkot is about 310 miles west of the capital, Kathmandu.
At least 20 people in Jajarkot were hospitalized with injuries, Suresh Sunar, a district official, told Reuters.
“I am out in the open myself,” Mr. Sunar told Reuters by phone. “We are collecting details, but due to cold and night, it is difficult to get information from remote areas. We have mobilized rescue personnel.”
The quake struck just before midnight, when many people were asleep in their homes. Tremors were also felt in India’s capital, New Delhi.
Earthquakes are common in mountainous Nepal. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 killed some 9,000 people and damaged about one million structures.
