Nepal: Magnitude-5.3 earthquake occurs in Karnali Province Nov. 6

A magnitude-5.3 earthquake occurred in Karnali Province, Nepal, at around 16:31 Nov. 6. The epicenter was about 38 km (24 miles) east-northeast of Dailekh. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), and moderate shaking was probably felt near the epicenter, as well as light shaking throughout Karnali, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpashchim provinces in Nepal and into eastern Uttarakhand and northern Uttar Pradesh states in India and southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region in China. There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake. The quake was likely an aftershock of a magnitude-5.6 tremor that occurred in the region late Nov. 3 and resulted in more than 150 fatalities and more than 375 injuries. The latest earthquake could hamper ongoing response efforts and may further destabilize buildings weakened from the previous tremor. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Further light-to-moderate aftershocks are likely over the coming days.

Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible, particularly near the earthquake's epicenter.