JAJARKOT: A devastating 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Barekot Rural Municipality-1 Ramidanda of Jajarkot last Friday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Among the seven affected levels of Jajarkot, Bheri municipality bore the brunt of the disaster, with a staggering 9,714 houses completely damaged in the district.

The District Administration Office Jajarkot reported structural devastation across various municipalities, with 2,530 houses in Bheri municipality; 2,108 in Nalgad municipality; 1,945 in Chedagad municipality; 1,035 in Barekot rural municipality; 1,504 in Kushe rural municipality; 634 in Junichande rural municipality; and 38 in Shivalaya rural municipality completely destroyed.

Moreover, the catastrophe led to the displacement of 67,174 families, encompassing 9,186 households across these seven local levels.

Kushe village faced the largest displacement, with 1,504 households and 25,815 individuals forced to evacuate, while Shivalaya Rural Municipality experienced the least displacement, affecting 130 families from 38 households.

Further breakdowns revealed that 3,449 families from 634 households were displaced in Junichande Village, 5,632 families from 35 households in Barekot Municipality; 14,997 families from 3,534 households in Bheri Municipality; 15,321 families from 2,108 households in Nalgad Municipality; and 333 households in Chedagad Municipality.

The District Administration Office Jajarkot stated that 1,810 families have been displaced in total.

The impact of the earthquake reverberated throughout the region, affecting more than 179,000 individuals from 34,501 households, illustrating the significant humanitarian crisis that has unfolded in Jajarkot.

Likewise, more than 24,000 houses have been partially damaged due to the earthquake in the district.