At least 1,880 people are known to have died in Nepal, officials said, making it the quake-prone and impoverished Himalayan nation's worst disaster in more than 80 years.
But the final toll from the 7.8 magnitude quake could be much higher, and dozens more people were reported killed in neighbouring India and China.
***22:20
Baku-APA. 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, APA reports quoting CNN.
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 photographer who's shooting the quake's aftermath for The New York Times, 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."
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.
Those who will be spending the night outside have already endured a day that has been difficult beyond belief. People who experienced the quake spoke by telephone with CNN, describing scenes of chaos, fear and suffering.
CNN's Manesh Shrestha said he saw five bodies at a hospital to which he walked to seek treatment for his own injuries. People with severe injuries were lying outside, with doctors administering CPR to at least one of them, Shrestha said.
"It's quite chaotic," he said by phone. "People are wailing, crying."
Shrestha, who had been cut and was in need of stitches, was turned away because other people had more dire need of care. He saw people lying outside with broken bones and head injuries.
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