Dharahara collapsed in Saturday's deadly earthquake. Photo by Om Astha RaiThe death toll from a powerful earthquake that rattled several parts of Nepal, including Kathmandu Valley, on Saturday has reached 686, according to Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA).
More than 500 people are reported to have been injured and are receiving treatment on the streets as most hospitals have been inundated with casualties.
The earthquake that affected 38 districts has badly hit Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Gorkha, Sindhupalchok and Lamjung.
According to the MoHA, 54 deaths in Kavre, nine in Makwanpur, 10 in Okhaldhunga, five in Ramechhap, two in Bhojpur, six in Nuwakot and 12 in Gorkha have been reported so far.
The earthquake has also killed 10 mountaineers at the Everest base camp. They were preparing to summit the Everest this season.
The death toll could go higher as hundreds more presumed to be under the debris of the collapsed houses.
The earthquake, measured 7.9 in the Richter scale with its epicenter in Lamjung district, leveled many historic and archeologically important sites in Kathmandu Valley, including Dharahara and nine-storey palace in Basantapur durbar square.
The earthquake damaged hundreds of houses in Kathmandu Valley, rendering a large number of families homeless.
Hospitals are now teeming with injured people and dead bodies. As aftershocks of the earthquake continue to rattle Kathmandu Valley, thousands of people are now on the streets. Thousands more are staying in open areas like Dasarath Stadium, Tundikhel and Khulamanch.
As of 3 p.m., 86 dead bodies had been taken to Bir Hospital and 60 in Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH).
Dharahara collapsed leaving more than 100 people dead.