At least eight injured in twin earthquakes in western Nepal

Kathmandu: Eight people were injured when two earthquakes struck Nepal's western Jajarkot district on Friday, officials said on Saturday. Two back-to-back earthquakes struck western Nepal on Friday evening, occurring just three minutes apart. The first tremor of magnitude 5.2 was recorded at 8:07 pm local time at Jajarkot district, followed by a stronger 5.5 magnitude earthquake at 8:10 pm. Both quakes had their epicentre in the Panik area of Jajarkot district, approximately 525 km west of Kathmandu.

According to the officials, six people were injured in Jajarkot and two others in Rukum West.

The tremors were felt across neighbouring districts, including Surkhet, Dailekh, and Kalikot in western Nepal.

Several houses in Jajarkot, Rukum, and Kalikot districts developed cracks due to the quakes. The injuries occurred as people fled their homes in panic during the tremors, the official said.