Devastating earthquake leaves 128 dead in northwest Nepal

At least 128 people have been killed as a strong earthquake rocked the Himalayan nation of Nepal on Friday night.

Helicopters and ground troops have been rushing to help dozens of people who were left injured after the tremor struck the north-western area of the country.

The earthquake struck six kilometres from the town of Dhime, with those needing medical attention being taken to the regional hospital in the city of Nepalgunj.

Over 100 beds were made available at the hospital, which has been swamped with those who have been injured due to the 5.6 magnitude quake.

One of the first people to be seen by doctors, Bimal Kumar Karki, said the earthquake had left people in a state of shock as it had not been predicted earlier.

"I was fast asleep when all of a sudden it started shaking violently. I tried to run but the whole house collapsed. I tried escaping but half my body got buried in the debris," he said.

"I screamed, but every one of my neighbours were in the same situation and screaming for help. It took nearly half an hour to an hour before rescuers found me."

In the early hours of Saturday, rescue helicopters came to help security forces on the ground, who were digging victims out of the rubble and counting casualties.

The quake was felt as far away as neighbouring India's capital New Delhi, some 500 miles away from the epicentre.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi offered their services to help find those in search and rescue efforts. He added that he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and damage in the country.

Taking to social media, Modi wrote: "India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to extend all possible assistance."

Due to Nepal's precarious position, earthquakes are common in the country. In 2015, a devastating tremor measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale killed 9,000 people.

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