As many as 143 people were killed and 166 others injured after a shallow magnitude-6.4 earthquake hit the western part of Nepal overnight, the Kathmandu Post said on Saturday.

Jajarkot district of Karnali Province and its neighboring district West Rukum have seen the most damage and casualties.  

Local officials have warned the death toll could rise further as the search continues for those buried under the rubble but it is difficult for the rescue teams to reach some places as bridges were damaged, and roads were blocked by landslides triggered by the quake.

An additional four aftershocks above magnitude 4.0 had been recorded by Saturday morning, according to Nepal's National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center.

In October, three quakes above magnitude 4.0 jolted the Dhading district in central Nepal, with one measuring magnitude 6.1.

A magnitude-7.8 earthquake in 2015 killed some 9,000 people and damaged more than half a million houses in the mountainous country.

(With input from agencies)