A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake, followed by a 6.6-magnitude aftershock, struck the Mount Everest region last night. The shallow quake, centered under the Kathmandu Valley, shook central Nepal and portions of Tibet, India, and Pakistan.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was as powerful as the infamous 1906 San Francisco quake. Nepal’s strongest quake since 1934 leveled ancient temples and many other buildings in Kathmandu, and triggered avalanches on Mount Everest that killed and injured climbers.
“Residents reported seeing trails of destruction -collapsed walls, broken windows and fallen telephone poles – as they drove through the capital, along with streets filled with terrified people,” CBS News reported. Medical facilities in the primitive nation are overwhelmed with casualties. The known death toll is in hundreds and likely to rise above four figures. There’s no word yet on whether Mount Everest is still standing.
Photos: A landmark tower in Kathmandu was among the buildings destroyed in Saturday’s earthquake; artist’s concept of what a collapsed Mount Everest might look like.