Report by #CNN
A massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake has hit Nepal with devastating force less than 50 miles from the capital, Kathmandu, the U.S. Geological Survey said Saturday. Witnesses said people had been killed and injured, and historic buildings in Kathmandu had tumbled to the ground.
The full extent of the deaths, injuries and damage has not yet begun to emerge.
CNN's
Manesh Shrestha, who was himself hurt, said he saw five bodies at a
hospital to which he walked, seeking treatment. People with severe
injuries were being treated outside, with doctors administering CPR on
at least one person, Shrestha said.
"It's quite chaotic," he said by phone. "People are wailing, crying."
Shrestha,
who felt he needed stitches, was turned away because other people were
more seriously hurt. He saw people with broken bones and severe head
injuries, he said.
Avalanches were reported on Mount Everest, sending mountaineers running for cover.
"Everest
base camp huge earthquake then huge avalanche from pumori," Twitter
user Alex Gavan said. "Running for life from my tent. Unhurt. Many many
people up the mountain."
The quake, which struck at 11:41 local
time (05:51 GMT). occurred at a depth of 9.3 miles, which is considered
shallow and potentially more damaging than a quake emanating from deeper
under the earth's crust. And it was reported by people who felt it as
seeming to last a very long time.
The
USGS had rated the temblor at 7.5 magnitude but later upgraded the
strength. The USGS reported aftershocks at strengths of 6.6 and 5.1,
among others.
In all, it said, at least
eight aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or greater have been felt in Nepal
so far. A witness told CNN by phone that people were gathered outdoors
in fear.
People experienced quake as 'severe' to 'violent'
The
shaking was felt by people who contacted the USGS as "severe" to
"violent," nearly the highest rating on the intensity scale. Tremors
were felt as far as New Delhi, more than 200 miles away in neighboring
India. An official said it was felt there at magnitude 5.0.
The
shaking was rated as "strong" to "severe" on the USGS ShakeMap. CNN
sister network CNN-IBN reported that buildings were down and roads were
out.
Kanak Masni, a journalist in
Kathmandu, told CNN by phone that a historic building in Kathmandu
called Dharahara -- also known as Bhimsen Tower -- was down. The
building, nearly 63 meters tall, provided visitors with a panoramic view
of of the Kathmandu valley. It was built in 1832.
Masni
told CNN by telephone that this appeared to be "the most massive
earthquake to hit central Nepal since 1934." In that quake, which was
8.0 magnitude and centered near Mount Everest, more than 10,000 people
were reported killed.
IBN
reporter K. Dhiksit looked out his window in Kathmandu and saw the
walls of many buildings down. As he watched, an aftershock rattled the
street. He heard "big booming sounds," and people fled into the
streets, he said.
Photos of caved-in
and toppled buildings appeared on social media. Kathmandu, which sits in
a valley surround by the Himalayas, has a population of 1 million
people.
India's Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said in a tweet, "We are in the process of finding more
information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home
& in Nepal."
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