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A tremor was felt in the hilly districts of Sudur Paschim Province on Sunday. The earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale occurred at 9:26 am today. The tremor was felt in Baitadi, Bajhang and Doti among other districts. According to Rajesh Sharma, Technical Assistant of Seismology Center Surkhet, the epicenter of the earthquake was at Lekhgaon in Bajhang. No damage has been reported yet.

Five persons died and 25 others were injured when a bus met with an accident at Mathar in Bullingtar Rural Municipality-2 of East Nawalparasi on Sunday. According to DSP Santosh Pathak, Information Officer at the District Police Office, East Nawalparasi, the deceased have been identified as Tara BK, Binay BK, Dhani BK and Devi Gaha of Rambha Rural Municipallity-1of Palpa and Phul Maya Majhi of Galyang Municipality-9 of Syangja. The bus (Na 6 Kha 7580) was heading towards Manakamana of Gorkha from Rampur of Palpa when the incident occurred at around 4 am today. All the injured are undergoing treatment in Bharatpur of Chitwan, police said. Among the injured, two are said to be in critical condition. Police said that they are looking in into the case.

Chhath festival is being observed today by worshipping and making offerings to the setting sun. The festive fanfare has been seen in different parts including Ranipokhari, Gaurighat, Kupondole of the Kathmandu Valley as well. The festival is dedicated to the sun God, with offerings made to the rising and setting sun. It is observed for four days, from Kartik Shukala Chaturthi to Kartik Shukla Saptami as per the lunar calendar. It usually falls between October and November in the Gregorian calendar. The Sun considered as the god of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress. The ritual of Chhath Parba includes taking holy bath, fasting, standing and worshiping the sun for a long time and offering Prasad and Argha to the ‘Rising and setting Sun”. Chhath is a festival of bathing and worshipping that follows a period of abstinence and segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes purity and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any pandit (priest). The devotees offer their prayers to the setting sun and then the rising sun in celebrating its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. It is seen as the most glorious form of Sun worship.

The death toll in the horrific Seoul Halloween stampede rose to 151, with 19 of them identified as foreigners, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported citing fire authorities, ANI reported.

The agency also reported that the victims in their 20s accounted for the age group most affected by the horrific Seoul Halloween stampede. Moreover, the agency, citing the Seoul metropolitan government, said Sunday it has received about 270 reports of missing persons related to the deadly stampede during Halloween parties in the Itaewon district. At least 151 people were killed and 76 others were injured after a deadly stampede during Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s Itaewon district on Saturday at 10:20 pm (13:20 GMT), Al Jazeera reported citing the officials. The incident reportedly occurred after a large group of people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity visited there, Al Jazeera reported citing the local media. Social media footage showed several people being assisted by rescue officials and private citizens at the scene, and numerous ones performing CPR on people lying in poor condition on the streets. A large crowd pushed forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities, resulting in dozens needing first aid. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the dispatch of the emergency medical team to the area and said hospital beds should be prepared to minimize casualties, his office said. Numerous people had trouble breathing when the chaotic stampede occurred as dozens were seen giving CPR to people lying lifeless on streets post-incident. South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol presided over an emergency response meeting Sunday over the deadly stampede, as per the officials. “Shortly after the accident, Yoon came to the presidential office in Yongsan and presided over a response meeting related to the Seoul Itaewon Halloween accident,” the presidential office said, according to ANI. “The top priority is transporting and rescuing the patients and providing prompt medical treatment for the affected people,” local media reported quoting Yoon as saying. Authorities are still looking into the exact cause of the accident as the investigation is underway. Emergency forces were dispatched following the crowd surge which resulted in fatalities. Firefighters and police officers also reached the Itaewon neighbourhood in Seoul to bring the situation under control, ANI reported.