KATHMANDU: Nepal's Home Ministry says at least 71 people have been killed in a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the capital and the Kathmandu Valley on Saturday.
Indian officials say at least 20 people have died in India as a result of the earthquake while dozens are injured.
The strong earthquake caused extensive damage with toppled walls and collapsed buildings, officials said.
The death toll is expected to rise significantly as Kathmandu's decrepit buildings, crisscrossed by narrow alleys, are home to large families.
Dozens of people with injuries were being brought to the main hospital in central Kathmandu.
Several buildings collapsed in the center of the capital, including centuries-old temples, said resident Prachanda Sual. He said he saw people running through the streets in panic.
Ambulance sirens blared and government helicopters hovered overhead.
National radio warned people to stay outdoors because more aftershocks are feared. It is also asking people to maintain calm. Old Kathmandu city is a warren of tightly packed, narrow lanes with poorly constructed homes piled on top of each other.
Nepal's Information Minister Minendra Rijal told India's NDTV station that there are reports of damage in and around Kathmandu but no immediate word on casualties. He said rescue teams were on the scene.
The epicenter was 80 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, he said.
The Kathmandu Valley is densely populated with nearly 2.5 million, with the quality of buildings often poor.
An Associated Press reporter in Kathmandu said a wall in his compound collapsed and there was damage to nearby buildings.
The US Geological Survey revised the magnitude from 7.5 to 7.9 and said the quake hit at 11:56 a.m. local time (0611 GMT) at a shallow depth of 11 kilometers (7 miles).
Mohammad Shahab, a resident from Lahore, Pakistan, said he was sitting in his office when the earthquake rocked the city near the border with India. He said the tremors continued for a while but now the situation was normal.
The sustained quake also was felt in India's capital of New Delhi.
AP reporters in Indian cities of Lucknow in the north and Patna in the east also reported strong tremors.
Pakistan offers assistance to Nepal and India
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in London on an official visit, has expressed his "deep shock on the reports of a massive earthquake that has caused devastation in Nepal and Northern India this morning", said a statement issued by the foreign office.
The statement also said, "the Government of Pakistan and its people extend their heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the governments and the peoples of Nepal and India on the tragedy that has caused loss of precious lives and properties".
"The Government and people of Pakistan express solidarity with the affected people of Nepal and India and offer all possible help that may be required in their hour of grief."
According to the statement, the government of Pakistan has instructed its missions in the two countries to approach their respective host governments to ascertain the damages caused and the requirement of relief assistance.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan has been readied to take the relief assistance at a short notice, the statement said.
Historic tower collapses
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A historic tower built in the 19th century collapsed in the Nepali capital Kathmandu following the severe earthquake that hit on Saturday and at least one body was removed as police cordoned off the area, a Reuters witness said.
The Dharara Tower, built in 1832, was a historic landmark that had been open to visitors for the last 10 years and had a viewing balcony on its eighth floor.
One body was removed from the tower and a second lay further up the road, the witness said. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the multi-storey tower when it collapsed.
Avalanche sweeps Everest in Nepal after quake
An avalanche swept the face of Mount Everest after the massive earthquake struck Nepal on Saturday injuring at least 30 people, said a senior mountaineering guide.
The avalanche apparently struck between the Khumbu Icefall, a rugged area of collapsed ice and snow, and the base camp where most climbing expeditions are, said Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Tshering said details were unclear because communication between the base camp and the rest of the Everest region was intermittent.
Nepal's Home Ministry said that the 30 people who were injured were at the base camp.
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