Over 150 people died on Friday after an earthquake that shook a rural area of western Nepal.

Strong earthquakes were said to have been detected in Delhi and other nearby Indian towns and the capital of Nepal.

Reports said aid from rescue operations in the untamed districts of West Rukum and Jajarkot, 500 kilometres (310 miles) west of Kathmandu, has been sent in.

According to government officials, there had been roughly 375 injuries. The hospital in Jajarkot is crowded with injured patients.

A survivor, Geethakumari Bista, told the BBC that rescuers saved her elder daughter, but she lost her younger daughter.

“We three were in the same room on the top floor. Everything happened so suddenly. We couldn’t understand what was happening,” she recalled. 

“People shouted around. The armed police came and I shouted: ‘I am alive, too’… First, they rescued my elder daughter by carrying her out and taking her downstairs. Unfortunately, they couldn’t save my younger one. She was 14 years old,” the victim added. 

Minor aftershocks have been observed in the areas, prompting local authorities to advise residents to stay outside for at least 24 hours.

According to Unicef Nepal, they are examining the disaster’s impact on children and families.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal arrived in the afflicted region on Saturday after expressing his “deep sorrow” on social networking site X for the loss of lives and property caused by the earthquake. 

He stated that he had directed security forces to begin rescue and relief efforts immediately.

Meanwhile, the United Nations says its teams in Nepal are responding to the devastating earthquake.

Ms Alice Akunga, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative to Nepal, said that children and their families are most at risk, having lost their homes, schools and health centres.

Estimates indicate that thousands of school-aged children live in the affected areas and will be impacted.

“The full extent of the damage will unfold in the coming days, and sadly, the numbers of those affected are likely to grow,” she said in a statement.

According to her, UNICEF teams are on the ground, assessing the impact and providing urgent assistance, including blankets and tarpaulins.

“We are gauging the support they require at this crucial juncture in the areas of health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, child protection and social protection.’’

Other UN agencies have also stepped up their response. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is mobilising medical teams, and the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) has been activated to conduct remote damage assessment via satellite image analysis.