An earthquake has shaken north-western Nepal, and officials said at least 37 people were dead and dozens more injured as rescuers searched the mountainous villages.

Officials said the toll is expected to rise, noting that communications were cut off with many villages.

The earthquake killed at least 20 people in Rukum district, where numerous houses collapsed, police official Narvaraj Bhattarai said.

In neighbouring Jajarkot district, 17 people were confirmed dead, government official Harish Chandra Sharma said.

Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Centre measured the tremor at 6.4 magnitude and said its epicentre was at Jajarkot, about 250 miles north east of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.

The US Geological Survey initially said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a depth of 11.1 miles.

The quake struck just before midnight when many people were asleep in their homes. Tremors also were felt in India’s capital, New Delhi.

Earthquakes are common in mountainous Nepal. A 7.8 magnitude tremor in 2015 killed 9,000 people and damaged about a million structures.