[Breaking news update, posted at 5:28 a.m. ET]
Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs says more than 150 people have died in the capital, Kathmandu, following a 7.9 magnitude earthquake.
[Previous story, posted at 5:22 a.m. ET]
(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.”
