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KATHMANDU, Nepal — An earthquake struck a remote region of the Himalayan nation of Nepal on Friday night, killing at least 132 people and destroying hundreds of homes, Nepali officials said, as they warned that the death toll may rise.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 5.6-magnitude earthquake occurred after 11:30 p.m. Friday, local time, at a shallow depth of 11 miles. The epicenter was near the Jajarkot district, more than 300 miles west of the capital, Kathmandu. The tremors could be felt in Kathmandu and New Delhi, capital of neighboring India.

Nicknamed the “Roof of the World” because it stretches across the Himalayan mountains, Nepal suffers from poor and winding roads, shoddy buildings and endemic poverty in many of its districts. Some roads have reportedly been blocked by falling rocks, hampering search and rescue and relief efforts.

The two mountain districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum have suffered the most severe damage, with 95 killed in Jajarkot and 37 in West Rukum, said Nepal Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Krishna Prasad Bhandari. Hundreds have been injured.

“The search and rescue team of Nepal Army have reached a few places,” Bhandari said. “Roads are difficult, so it may take time to reach some places immediately.”

Narendra Gautam, assistant sub-inspector at Jajarkot Police station, told The Washington Post that there is no mobile cell network and that electricity is cut off in the affected areas.

“It is difficult to establish contact,” he said, adding that it takes a six-hour drive or two days’ walk to reach some quake-hit areas.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, commonly known as Prachanda, has mobilized all of the country’s security agencies and left Kathmandu by helicopter early Saturday to visit the region, according to the Himalayan Times.

Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, said on social media that India was “ready

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