Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday condoled the loss of lives in the devastating earthquake in Nepal and said in this hour of crisis, Indians stand shoulder to shoulder with the neighbouring country.

At least 140 people were killed and several others injured when a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal just before midnight on Friday, destroying hundreds of houses in the Himalayan country's remote mountainous region in the most devastating tremor since 2015.

According to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre, the earthquake with an epicentre in Jajarkot district, about 500 km west of Kathmandu, was recorded at 11.47 pm.

In a post on X, Kharge said, "Anguished by the loss of precious lives due to the devastating earthquake in Nepal. Our deepest condolences, thoughts and sympathies are with the families of the victims and the injured." "In this hour of crisis, Indians stand shoulder to shoulder with Nepal," the Congress president said, tagging Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.