It was too early to call critical Senate seats in Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona that could determine the majority. In the House, meanwhile, Democrats kept seats in districts from Virginia to Kansas and Rhode Island, while many districts in states like New York and California had not been called

WASHINGTON (AP) — Control of Congress hung in the balance early Wednesday as Democrats showed surprising strength, defeating Republicans in a series of competitive races and defying expectations that high inflation and President Joe Biden‘s low approval ratings would drag the party down.

In the most heartening news for the party, Democrat John Fetterman flipped a Republican-controlled Senate seat that is key to the party’s hopes of maintaining control of the chamber.

It was too early to call critical Senate seats in Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona that could determine the majority. In the House, meanwhile, Democrats kept seats in districts from Virginia to Kansas and Rhode Island, while many districts in states like New York and California had not been called.

Democrats also were successful in governors’ races, winning in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — battlegrounds critical to Biden‘s 2020 win over former President Donald Trump. But Republicans held on to governors’ mansions in Florida, Texas and Georgia, another battleground state Biden narrowly won two years ago.

With votes still being counted across the country, Republicans still had the opportunity to win control of Congress. But the results were uplifting for Democrats who were braced for sweeping losses, and raised questions about the size of Republicans‘ governing majority if they win the House.

Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.

Five other people were seriously injured as eight houses collapsed early Wednesday, said Bhola Bhatta, Doti's deputy superintendent of police, confirming an earlier figure shared by home ministry official Tulsi Rijal

Local media show visuals of mud and brick houses destroyed by the quake and rescuers digging through the rubble to look for survivors. Nepal‘s seismological centre set the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.6. (Reuters) An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 has struck Nepal, killing at least six people, destroying multiple houses in the western district of Doti and shaking the Indian capital New Delhi, authorities said.

Five other people were seriously injured as eight houses collapsed early Wednesday, said Bhola Bhatta, Doti's deputy superintendent of police, confirming an earlier figure shared by home ministry official Tulsi Rijal.

Local media showed visuals of mud and brick houses destroyed by the quake and rescuers digging through the rubble to look for survivors. At least two people are reported missing, said Nepali army spokesperson Narayan Silwal.

A ground rescue team of the Nepali army has been rushed to the site, said spokesperson Silwal, and two helicopters were on stand-by in nearby Surkhet and Nepalgunj towns.

Kalpana Shrestha, a senior bureaucrat of Doti district, said details were being collected from villages near the epicentre and that one child was among those rescued from under the debris.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, writing on Twitter, offered condolences to the families of the victims. “I have instructed the relevant agencies to arrange immediate and proper treatment of the injured and the victims.”

READ MORE:  Deadly earthquake hits near Afghanistan's Jalalabad

Nepal still rebuilding 

Nepal's seismological centre set the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.6. 

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) had pegged the earthquake at a magnitude of 5.6.

The quake was centred about 158 km northeast of Pilibhit, a populous city in the neighbouring Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and occurred at a depth of 10 km, EMSC added.

Media reports after the quake showed tremors were also felt in New Delhi and surrounding areas, some 350 km from Doti.

Nepal is still rebuilding after two major earthquakes in 2015 killed almost 9,000 people, destroyed whole towns and centuries-old temples and caused a $6 billion blow to the economy. 

Doti is about 430 km west of the capital, Kathmandu.

READ MORE: Nepal's tourism industry is on the mend

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

Both line-ups will have mostly local-based players. The game gets underway at noon Jamaica time.

Carmelo De Grazia

Link de Interés