CNNNepal: more than 1,400 known dead in earthquakeKathmandu, Nepal (CNN)A 7.8 magnitude earthquake centered less than 50 miles from Kathmandu rocked Nepal with devastating force Saturday, toppling homes, temples and historic buildings and leaving at least 1,457 people dead, authorities said.
Afterward, whole streets and squares in the nation's capital and largest city were covered in rubble. The injured wound up being treated outside hospitals in chaotic scenes. Residents, terrorized by a seemingly endless series of aftershocks, huddled outdoors for safety.
The death toll was reported by Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs. But given that the rescue effort is still in its early stages and that people in outlying areas may well have been affected, as well, it seems probable the number will rise.
In neighboring Tibet, roads buckled, buildings collapsed and at least 12 people were killed, China's state media reported, citing local authorities.
Separately, at least four Chinese citizens in Nepal -- two workers with a Chinese company, a tourist and a mountaineer -- have been killed, state media reported, citing the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu.
Kathmandu, which sits in a valley surrounded by the Himalayas, has a population of about 1 million.
Thomas Nybo, a freelance photographer, was sitting in a coffee shop in Kathmandu's Temal district when the massive temblor struck. It appeared to be a minor tremor at first but gradually gained intensity, he told CNN. Thousands poured onto the streets of Temal, a densely populated tourist hub.
"This region is no stranger to earthquakes," he said. "A lot of people had the same feeling: this is a tremor, it passed. When that wasn't the case, they were in uncharted territory... It's basically an unwritten book."
Nepal has had only four earthquakes of 6.0 magnitude or higher in last 100 years. An 8.0-magnitude temblor in 1934 killed more than 10,000 people.
Outside the coffee shop in Temal, Nybo said he saw a group of women gather near what had been a six-story building. One woman said children were trapped beneath rubble.
"We ran over and ran around the rubble and couldn't hear anything," he said. "There was no chance that they survived."
Nearby, another building had come down on an area where locals went to do laundry and collect water, Nybo said. A voice was heard coming from the rubble.
"A group of mainly tourists started gathering rocks, hammers and pickaxes and breaking through a re-enforced concrete wall to reach this guy... It took about two hours of smashing through wall and cutting rebar with a hacksaw to pull him out alive."
Two bodies were found near the spot where the man was rescued, Nybo said. Not far away, the bodies of three or four women were uncovered.
"Who knows how many other bodies lie beneath the rubble?" he said.
Nybo said soldiers did not appear on the streets until about two hours after the quake.
"It's really hard to get a sense of any kind of emergency response," he said.
The streets of Kathmandu were packed with thousands of locals and tourists who refuse to go back to their homes or hotels because of recurring aftershocks.
Chitra Thata, 48, a CNN security guard in Atlanta, said he spoke by telephone with relatives in Kathmandu and Pokhara, a city about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of the capital. They were fine and were staying on streets.
"Everybody's in shock," he said. "They never felt an earthquake that big."
He said his brother in law was helping in the search for survivors.
Aid agencies expressed concern for the welfare of survivors in the coming days, as overnight temperatures are expected to drop and people will need to make do without electricity, running water and shelter.
The international community must react quickly to save lives -- particularly those of children -- said Devendra Tak, of the aid agency Save the Children.
"With every minute the situation becomes worse," he said. "Tonight is going to be a very tough night out there for people in Kathmandu and for people in the surrounding villages."
Food, clothing and medicine will be urgently required, he said.
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