Nepal earthquake in pictures: Photos show devastation caused by 7.8 magnitude earthquake

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Nepal, India, Tibet and Bangladesh

Lizzie Dearden
Sunday 26 April 2015 13:02 BST
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At least 100 people have been killed and the death toll is rising
At least 100 people have been killed and the death toll is rising

Photos have emerged showing the devastation wreaked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday.

Tremors were felt as far away as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tibet and India as more than 1,000 people, including children, were killed in five countries.

Iconic buildings including historic temples and the Unesco-listed Dharahara Tower were razed to the ground in the Himalayan nation’s worst earthquake in more than 80 years.

Photos showed Kathmandu's streets littered with rubble as people scrabbled over ruined buildings in desperate efforts to find survivors and doctors treated the wounded in the road.

Police in Nepal estimated at least 1,130 people had died but the toll was still rising as victims were pulled from the rubble.

Dozens more were believed dead in neighbouring countries including India, where a young girl was crushed in her home, and more in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tibet.

“Hundreds of people are feared dead and there are reports of widespread damage to property,” said Krishna Prasad Dhakal, deputy chief of mission at Nepal's embassy in New Delhi.

“The devastation is not confined to some areas of Nepal. Almost the entire country has been hit.”

The epicentre was around 77 miles north-west of Kathmandu with a depth of seven miles.

It struck with an estimated magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, hitting before noon local time, and was most severely felt in the Nepalese capital as well as the densely populated Kathmandu Valley.

A magnitude 6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and smaller quakes continued to ripple through the region for hours as rescue operations continued.

It also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that injured at least 30 climbers.

Additional reporting by agencies

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