At least 128 people have been killed in an earthquake in Nepal.

It hit the west of the country as many people were sleeping on Friday.

Witnesses say it caused houses to collapse and communications were cut to a number of villages.

The earthquake happened at 11:47pm (6.02pm GMT) in the Jajarkot district of Karnali province - some 500 kilometres 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.

"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," a police official said.

The location of the earthquake. Image: USGS

Rescuers worked overnight to pull injured people from the rubble. However, landslides in some areas blocked roads and made access difficult.

Medical personnel and supplies were being flown in by helicopter - with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal joining one flight.

Ninety-two people were confirmed dead and 55 injured in Jajarkot, said police spokesman Kuber Kadayat.

He said at least 36 also died and more than 80 were injured in neighbouring Rukum district.

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

The quake occurred at a depth of 17.9km, according to the USGS.

Reporting by: IRN

Main image: People search for their belongings in debris after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck at Thaple in Jajarkot, Nepal on 4-11-23. Image: ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy