The earthquake struck the west of the country as many people were already asleep on Friday night.

Witnesses said it caused houses to collapse and communications to many villages are said to have been cut.

The quake struck at 11:47pm (6.02pm GMT) in Jajarkot district of Karnali province - 310 miles (500km) west of the capital Kathmandu.

Nepal's National Seismological Centre said the magnitude was 6.4, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 5.6.

Local media showed crumbled houses while videos on X showed people running into the street as some buildings were evacuated.

"Houses have collapsed. People rushed out of their homes. I am out in the crowd of terrified residents. We are trying to find details of damages," said a police official.

At least 35 people were killed in Rukum West district, said police official Namaraj Bhattarai, while at least 34 were confirmed dead in Jajarkot, according to government official Harish Chandra Sharma.

Witnesses said the tremors were felt as far away as Kathmandu and New Delhi in India.

The quake occurred at a depth of 11.1 miles (17.9km), according to the USGS.

Earthquakes are common in Nepal - a 7.8-magnitude quake in 2015 killed about 9,000 people and damaged around a million structures.