At least 155 people were killed and many were left bloodied when a massive earthquake shook Nepal and India, causing widespread devastation. Buildings collapsed, roads cracked and phone lines snapped as the earth trembled.
The earthquake measured a staggering 7.9 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre at Nepal's Lamjung district some 75 km northwest of capital Kathmandu. There were six strong aftershocks. Over 150 were killed in the devastation, according to Nepal's ministry of home affairs, while six people died in India.
The Kathmandu airport was shut, triggering cancellation of flights from India to Kathmandu. An Indigo flight had to return to Delhi. Unconfirmed reports said avalanches on Mount Everest were triggered by the earthquake. Several mountaineers were unaccounted for, although the defence ministry in India said that a team of army climbers from India were safe, and have been asked to help in rescue operations.
People scurried out of their homes and offices, with prayers on their lips, as the quake struck at 11.41 a.m. India time.
A number of old buidings, including the Dharahara - a nine-storeyed 19th-century tower - in Kathmandu, collapsed. There was also damage to the walls surrounding Nepal's royal palace.
The temblor was devastating. Those trapped in the rubble cried out in pain and the rescuers worked feverishly to pull them out. Eyewitnesses said the casualty figure would be very high in Kathmandu itself as dozens of large buildings had collapsed to mere rubble.
Images showed that the quake had left the people of Nepal stunned. There was panic in Nepal which bore the brunt of the massive temblor. Besides capital Kathmandu and Besisahar in Lamjung, the cities which were affected include Bharatpur, Pokhara and Kirtipur.
Police spokesman Kamal Singh Ban told the media that they have received information about the death of 10 people in the Pokhara area.
At least four people were killed and several were injured in capital Kathmandu.
One person was killed when an old building collapsed in the premises of the Indian consulate here. The victim was a Nepalese national, according to a journalist based in Kathmandu.
Xinhua news agency reported that at least three people were confirmed killed and two others were injured.
In India, five people, including two children, were killed in Bihar while one person died in West Bengal.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said they are "working to reach out to those affected, both at home & in Nepal".
Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said disaster response agencies such as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were put on alert after an earthquake hit northern India.
He expressed grief over the situation in Nepal, adding "my heart goes out to the people of Nepal who have been hit by a massive earthquake. We stand by the people of Nepal in the difficult times".
Reports from across north India said people ran out of their homes and offices even as buildings shook due to the quake and the strong aftershocks.
The tremors were so strong that people feared for their lives. Some of them began to pray and tried to get as far away as possible from the buildings. Most ran to open grounds. Many of the high-rises saw people evacuate in large numbers.
"I suddenly found my chair shaking. I live on the fourth floor in an apartment. I just rushed out of my building...shouting and requesting people not to use the lift," said Ravindra Kumar, a resident at Sirsi road in Jaipur.
Five killed as quake shakes Bihar
Five people, including two children, were killed when buildings collapsed in different parts of Bihar following a massive earthquake on Saturday.
The two children of the same family died in a wall collapse in Bhagalpur. One person each were killed in Sitamarhi, Darbhanga and Vaishali.
Buildings developed cracks in Supaul and Purnia districts.
Tremors were felt in various cities of Bihar, with electricity and telephone services being affected across the state.
State disaster management Chief Secretary Byas Ji said strong tremors were felt in Patna, Gaya, Sitamarhi, Nalanda, Buxar, Purnia and Begusarai, adding that no major damage has been reported as yet.
The epicentre of the earthquake is in Lamjung in Nepal.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi called to take stock of the situation after the earthquake. No major damage has been reported yet," Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told mediapersons in Delhi.
Nitish Kumar, who reached Delhi on Friday evening, is expected to soon return to Patna.
Tremors felt in Chennai
Tremors were felt in some parts of Chennai city and the neighbouring union territory of Puducherry.
In Chennai, tremors were felt in Kodambakkam and Guindy areas.
"I felt slight tremors around noon," S.Bhuvaneswari, a private sector employee in Guindly locality, told IANS.
According to reports, some residents in Puducherry also felt the tremors.
Narendra Modi appoints Rudy to assess situation, calls meet on quake
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appointed union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy to assess the situation in the states bordering Nepal after a massive earthquake hit the Himalayan country.
The prime minister also called a meeting with ministers and top government officials to discuss the situation.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the quake, measuring 6 on the Richter scale in Delhi, had a depth of 10 km and its impact lasted up to one minute.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the epicentre was in Nepal's Lamjung, a district some 75 km from Kathmandu. The aftershocks were felt even half-an-hour after the quake.
Modi instructed Rudy to take stock of the situation in the districts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that are along the Nepal border.
He also spoke to the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sikkim. He was also trying to speak to his Nepal counterpart Sushil Koirala, who is abroad.
The Prime Minister's Office tweeted: "Modi has spoken to Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav."
The PMO has also spoken to the Indian embassy in Bhutan. The embassy is in touch with top Bhutan officials as well, the statement added
