By Mark Leberfinger, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
April 25,2015; 10:27PM,EDT
A violent and deadly earthquake rocked Nepal late Saturday morning local time.
Nepal police have reported at least 1,800 dead as a result of the earthquake in Nepal, India and Tibet, according to The Associated Press.
The 7.8-magnitude temblor hit at 11:56 a.m. local time Saturday (2:11 a.m. EDT Saturday) with an epicenter 81 km (50 miles) northwest of Kathmandu, the United States Geological Survey reported. It was at a depth of 15 km (9.3 miles).
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Major damage has been reported and scores of people were injured in Kathmandu, Nepalese media and The Associated Press reported.
Avalanches also occurred on nearby Mount Everest, CNN and local Sherpas reported. Eighteen mountaineers were killed on the mountain after the avalanches, CNN-IBN reported.
A doctor told CNN that he has seen 14 bodies, which would make Saturday the deadliest day on Mt. Everest, following the avalanche that killed 13 people last year.
The earthquake may be the second strongest on record in Nepal. An 8.0-magnitude earthquake occurred in January 1934 in Bihar and devastated the region, the USGS said.
Damages are estimated to likely amount to anywhere between $100 million and $10 billion, according to The AP.
Mountaineer Alex Gavan of Romania was on Mount Everest when the earthquake struck, he said on his Facebook page. There was an avalanche right after the quake and he ran from his tent. Climbing on Mount Everest recently restarted after the 2014 season ended following an avalanche that killed 13 people and left three others missing.
At least 30 mountaineers were injured, according to government officials, The AP reported.
First person account from base camp sherpa, saw a wall of ice fall off the mountain and 3 people die.
The earthquake occurred as the result of thrust faulting on or near the main frontal thrust between the subducting India plate and the overriding Eurasia plate to the north, the USGS said. Just four earthquakes of magnitude-6 or larger have occurred within 250 km (155 miles) of the earthquake during the last century.
Twenty-one strong aftershocks, including one of 6.6 magnitude, occurred within 5 hours of the initial quake, the USGS said.
NOW--- LOCALS TRAPPED inside this rubble- people trying hard to rescue
The earthquake also caused the Bhimsen Tower, one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, to collapse. It was a nine-story tower from the 19th century.
Hindus had been gathering in Patan for the Rato Machindranath chariot festival; Nepal's Newar community believes celebrating the festival brings rain, good crop and prosperity, The AP said.
Showers and thunderstorms may hamper relief efforts in the Kathmandu area, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Rode side , pulchowk KTM #earthquake #Kathmandu
"Through the next several days, rainfall will be most likely in the mountains surrounding Kathmandu," Douty said.
The quake could be felt throughout India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. Fatalities and damage were reported in Bihar state, officials told The AP.
The Indian government launched a massive relief effort to aid Nepal by sending food, water, medical supplies and other materials.
One of the homes in the Indian Embassy complex in Kathmandu collapsed, killing one person, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said.
Locally heavy downpours and high temperatures may hinder relief efforts in Bihar, Douty said.
"Highs will generally be in the 90s to near 100," he said.
Kathmandu's airport was closed as a result of the quake. Kunda Dixit, editor for the Nepali Times, reported that the airport reopened Saturday night.
Hindon Air Force Station: NDRF teams and relief material being sent to Kathmandu #NepalQuake http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-rushes-NDRF-personnel-relief-material-to-Nepal/articleshow/47043551.cms …
The earthquake was detected in the United States on KOCO-TV's seismograph in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the TV station reported.
Our seismograph here at @koconews in OKC picked up the #NepalEarthquake early this morning.
Injured
people receive treatment outside the Medicare Hospital in Kathmandu,
Nepal, Saturday, April 25, 2015. A strong magnitude-7.9 earthquake shook
Nepal's capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley before noon
Saturday, causing extensive damage with toppled walls and collapsed
buildings, officials said. (AP Photo/ Niranjan Shrestha)
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