03:49
BREAKING NEWS – A powerful earthquake struck Nepal Saturday, leaving at least 81 people dead, as the violently shaking earth collapsed houses, leveled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches in the Himalayas. It is the worst temblor to hit the nation in more than 80 years.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.9 struck the country before noon and was severely felt in the capital as well as the densely-populated Kathmandu Valley. A magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and smaller tremors continued to ripple through the region for hours.
The Home Ministry initially said in a statement that 71 people were killed in Nepal, but did not give any more details. One Chinese citizen was killed on the border, two Bangladesh and six in Tibet in the quake. Dozens of others were being brought to the main hospital in Kathmandu.
One laborer, Pashpa Das, ran from the house when the first quake struck but could not escape because a wall collapsed, injuring his arm.
It was very scary. The earth was moving ... I am waiting for treatment but the (hospital) staff is overwhelmed," he said, gingerly holding his right arm with his left hand. As he spoke dozens of more people showed up with injuries, mostly from falling bricks.
The earthquake also shook several cities across northern India, and was felt as far away as Lahore in Pakistan, Lhasa in Tibet and in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
China said two of its citizens were killed at the Nepal-China border. Television reports from Bangladesh said two people were killed and about 100 were injured. The Tibetan government said at least 30 people were injured.
A senior mountaineering guide, Ang Tshering, said an avalanche swept the face of Mt. Everest after the earthquake, and government officials said at least 30 people were injured.
Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association said the avalanche apparently occurred between the Khumbu Icefall, a rugged area of collapsed ice and snow, and the base camp where most climbing expeditions have their main camps.
The quake’s epicenter was 50 miles northwest of Kathmandu and it had a very shallow depth of 7 miles. The shallower the quake the more destructive power it carries.
As the ground began to shake, several buildings collapsed in the center of the capital, the ancient Old Kathmandu, including centuries-old temples and towers, said resident Prachanda Sual.
Among them was the Dharahara Tower, one of Kathmandu's landmarks built by Nepal's royal rulers in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized historical monument. It was reduced to rubble and there were reports of people trapped underneath.
The Kathmandu Valley is densely populated with nearly 2.5 million people, and the quality of buildings is often poor.
While the extent of the damage and the scale of the disaster are yet to be ascertained, the quake will likely put a huge strain on the resources of this poor country best known for Everest, the highest mountain in the world. The economy of Nepal, a nation of 27.8 million people, is heavily dependent on tourism, principally trekking and Himalayan mountain climbing.
Robin Trygg, a climber was in the basecamp on the Cho Oyu mountain at an altitude of 18,480 feet when he felt the quake.
We were sitting in the tent and drinking tea when all of a sudden the earth began shaking. We didn't understand what happened," he told the Swedish news agency TT by telephone.
Dozens of people gathered outside in the parking lot of Kathmandu’s Norvic International Hospital, where thin mattresses had been spread on the ground for patients rushed outside. Some patients were wearing hospital pajamas, while doctors and nurses treated people.
The U.S. Geological Survey revised the magnitude from 7.5 to 7.9 and said the quake hit at 11:56 a.m. local time at Lamjung a shallow depth of 7 miles. An earthquake's magnitude increases by 10 times with each increase in the number. A magnitude 7 quake is capable of widespread and heavy damage while an 8 magnitude quake can cause tremendous damage.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a meeting of top government officials to review the damage and disaster preparedness in parts of India that felt strong tremors. The Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sikkim, which share a border with Nepal, have reported building damage. There have also been reports of damage in the northeastern state of Assam.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered "all possible help" that Nepal may need.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
