5.3 Magnitude Earthquake jolts in Lomanthang: Tremors Felt; 35 Houses Rendered Uninhabitable

MUSATNG:- The house of Panchok Gurung, a resident of Phuwa in Lomanthang Rural Municipality-3, Upper Mustang, has collapsed due to an earthquake. His house was completely destroyed by a 5.3-magnitude earthquake that struck on Tuesday night with its epicenter in the Lomanthang area. Similarly, the house of Kunga Gurung from Kimling, Lomanthang-3, has also developed cracks.

Tashi Nurbu Gurung, Chairperson of Lomanthang Rural Municipality, stated that out of a total of 17 households in Phuwa village, five have suffered cracks rendering them uninhabitable, while the remaining houses have sustained partial or minor damage.

Chairperson Gurung said, “There are many houses that have cracked and are no longer safe to live in. Further details are currently being collected. Mud houses have sustained significant damage.”

According to Rural Municipality Chairperson Gurung, 35 households are currently in a condition that renders them uninhabitable. He stated that, as there were no human or livestock casualties resulting from the earthquake, the displaced individuals are staying at the homes of neighbors and relatives.

A team comprising local elected representatives, the Nepal Police, and representatives from the Annapurna Conservation Area Project has been mobilized across all five wards of the rural municipality to collect data on minor, partial, and total damage. Preliminary reports from the rural municipality indicate that approximately two hundred households have been directly affected by the earthquake so far.

Cracks have been observed in most of the unreinforced houses within the rural municipality. Since structures ranging from private homes to community buildings—including schools and monasteries—have developed cracks, the rural municipality has stated that the process for providing compensation will move forward following an on-site inspection by a technical team.

Locals are living in fear as earthquake tremors continue to be felt periodically. Those who attend to household chores during the day are sleeping in tents pitched in open fields at night.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramchandra Tiwari of the District Police Office, Mustang, stated that since no damage occurred in rural municipalities other than Lo-Manthang, police teams are being deployed in coordination with local representatives to collect details of the damage. He added that the police have urged residents not to stay in unsafe houses, noting that mud houses have developed cracks.

Lokbijay Adhikari, Chief of the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center, has urged the public to exercise caution, noting that aftershocks could occur in the coming days due to the significant magnitude of the earthquake. The Center records only those earthquakes that measure above four on the Richter scale.