Nepal earthquake destroys 19th century Dharahara Tower in Kathmandu

More than 750 people have died in a massive earthquake of 7.9 magnitude which hit large parts of Nepal on Saturday. The historic Dharahara Towers built in the 19th century in Kathmandu collapsed, trapping at least 200 people, Nepal police said. The tower had been open to visitors for the last 10 years and had a viewing balcony on its eighth floor. Witnesses spoke of dead bodies being removed from the site.

News Agency Reuters said qouting officials that major tremors were felt for nearly a minute across large swathes of Northern India including Delhi. 23 people have died in Bihar, eight in Uttar Pradesh, and three in West Bengal, where 40 children have also been injured after their school was damaged in Malda town. This earthquake of magnitude 7.9 was the worst to hit Nepal in 80 years. It triggered an avalanche that has buried a part of the base camp for climbers bound for Mount Everest.

Nepal's capital of Kathmandu has been left devastated with roads split open, and homes and iconic landmarks collapsed into rubble. There was little information coming from the outlying areas of the mountainous country and helicopters were circling to get a sense of the damage. At the main hospital in Kathmandu, people with broken limbs and arms were being rushed in for treatment. It was unclear how many people were injured.

Photographs from Kathmandu posted online showed buildings left in rubble, large cracks along roads and residents sitting in the street holding babies. The US Geological Survey said the quake, initially measured at 7.7 but upgraded to 7.9 magnitude, struck 80 km east of Pokhara.