PM Dahal reaches quake-hit Bajhang

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has reached Bajhang to take stock of the relief works in the mountainous district that was hit by twin earthquakes on Tuesday.

A Nepal Army chopper flew the Prime Minister and other members of his entourage to Bajhang from Surkhet. Dahal will visit quake-hit settlements in Chainpur and Talkot and also hold discussions with the District Disaster Management Committee for rescue, relief and reconstruction work.

The earthquakes have claimed one life and injured 20 others. Likewise, more than 70 residential and public buildings have been damaged.

The first earthquake, measuring ML 5.3 and with an epicenter at Talkot, struck the remote mountainous district at around 2:40 pm on Tuesday. Shortly thereafter, at 3:06 pm, a more powerful ML 6.3 earthquake shook the district headquarters, Chainpur, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center.