No fewer than 108 people have been killed after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck 80km east of Pokhara in Nepal, about half way between the town and the capital Kathmandu.
Police said on Saturday that the toll was according to an “initial estimate”.
Nepal’s Information Minister, Minendra Rijal, told India’s NDTV station that there were reports of damage in and around Kathmandu.
He said rescue teams were responding.
Photos posted on Twitter showed buildings left in rubble, large cracks along roads and worried residents on the streets.
At least 50 people are trapped under an ancient tower in Kathmandu which collapsed in the quake.
The epicentre was 80km northwest of Kathmandu, he said. The Kathmandu Valley is densely populated with nearly 2.5 million, with the quality of buildings often poor.
The Associated Press news agency cited a senior guide as saying an avalanche swept a mountain near the Everest base camp.
Al Jazeera‘s Subina Shrestha, reporting from Kathmandu, confirmed the reports of damage to buildings there.
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