One person was killed and two were injured after an earthquake struck western Nepal on Tuesday, a local official told AFP, with authorities still searching for damage.

The 5.6-magnitude quake's epicentre was in hilly Bajura district, 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Kathmandu, according to the US Geological Survey.

The jolt hit at around 2:43 pm (0858 GMT), with tremors felt as far away as India's capital New Delhi, where buildings briefly shook.

One woman was reported dead, two people were injured and up to 40 houses damaged, district chief Pushkar Khadka told AFP.

"The remoteness of our area makes it difficult to get full information. We hope to assess all damages and casualties by tomorrow," Khadka said.

Nepal's National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center reported the quake's magnitude as 5.9.

In November, six people died when another 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal's western district of Doti.

In April 2015, nearly 9,000 people died when a 7.8-magnitude quake struck the country, destroying more than half a million homes.

Three dead, dozens feared trapped as building collapses in India
Lucknow, India (AFP) Jan 24, 2023 –

At least three people were killed and dozens were feared trapped after a four-storey building collapsed in India, officials said late Tuesday.

The state's deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said three people had been killed in the accident in the northern city of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh state.

The state's director general of police (DGP) said the collapse appeared to be the effect of an earthquake that occurred earlier in the day.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal Tuesday afternoon, around 440 kilometres (273 miles) from Lucknow.

"30-35 people must be trapped," DGP Director General of Intelligence Devendra Singh Chauhan told reporters.

Teams of police, National Disaster Response Force were looking for those trapped under the debris, Chauhan added.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath's office tweeted that "hospitals have been instructed to remain alert."

According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, 1630 people were killed by structure collapse in the year 2021.

The accident comes just weeks after authorities in Joshimath, one of India's holiest towns, began evacuating panicked residents after hundreds of houses began developing cracks and sinking.