KATHMANDU: A devastating earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale shook Nepal at 11.56am today and its effects were felt in all the districts.

According to Ministry of Home Affairs, bodies of 1,462 people were recovered from the debris till this evening. In Kathmandu, the quake killed at least 181 people.

Sources said more than 400 people were receiving treatment at National Trauma Centre. Government agencies said did not have the exact figure of injured people but the number of injured could be in thousands.

The quake caused massive damage of life and property across the country. Home Ministry officials said over 700,000 houses were either fully or partially destroyed across the country and in Kathmandu alone 300,000 houses suffered partial damage. Scores of houses were razed to the ground in the capital.

Ministry of Home Affairs received initial reports of damage of life and property from 25 districts of Nepal.

Western Nepal and Kathmandu felt the devastating effects of the quake. The death toll is expected to rise as the clearing of debris is still on. Rescuers said many people could still be trapped under the rubble.

The epicenter of the quake was at Barpak in Gorkha district, said Lok Bijay Adhikari, Chief of National Seismological Centre. More than 20 aftershocks were felt till past 10pm. At 12.30pm, an aftershock measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, which was highest among the aftershocks, was felt in Kathmandu.

Nine aftershocks were measured above 5.0 on the Richter scale. This is the severest quake that hit Kathmandu after 1933 when a quake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale hit the capital, killing hundreds of people. The effects of the quake were felt in neighbouring states of India, including West Bengal, Bihar, UP and New Delhi.

In Kathmandu Valley, most of the old structures and monuments, including century-old Dharahara, Basantapur Durbar, Kashtamandap and old temples were damaged. Some old temples around Krishna Mandir of Patan and some new high rise buildings, including Civil Trade Centre, were also damaged in the capital. Compound walls around structures in Kathmandu, including those of Dashrath stadium and Singha Durbar, fell off.

According to Adhikari, the epicenters of aftershocks were recorded at Rasuwa, Lamjung and Sindhupalchowk.

Panic stricken city residents stayed out of their houses and camped in the open at night. The city residents filled nearby open places, roads and parks for their safety.

All kind of vehicles, including ambulances, transported the injured to the city hospitals and some people were seen carrying their injured relatives on motorbikes.

As aftershocks occurred frequently, employees at Tribhuvan International Airport ran for safety, deserting their job desks halting flights at the airport.

Dev Chandra Lal Karna, TIA’s Director for Operation said they could not resume flights for a few hours as employees left their job desks and the management could not force them to come at such hour when the possibility of aftershocks was very high. The TIA buildings, however, did not suffer any major damage.

THT correspondents visited Bir hospital, Teaching hospital, Star Hospital, Megha Hospital and Alka Hospital in three hours of the disaster and found that a number of injured patients were coming for treatment every moment.

After the quake, patients receiving treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, panicked and rushed out of their wards, along with their attendees/helpers.

Director of the Hospital Prof Dr Dipak Prakash Mahara said hundreds of doctors and nurses voluntarily came to the hospital to treat thousands of victims coming to the hospital from different parts of the capital.

A high-level meeting of security chiefs under Acting Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam was held today till late in the evening and discussed ways to deal with the tragedy.

Districtwise death toll

Kathmandu:  181

Sindhupalchok: 150

Bhaktapur: 144

Rasuwa: 70

Lalitpur: 66

Nuwakot: 55

Kavre: 36

Dolakha: 28

Gorkha: 25

Ramechhap: 17

Dhading: 9

Sunsari: 7

Okhaldhunga: 7

Makwanpur: 6

Sindhuli: 5

Solukhumbu: 2

Bhojpur: 2

Achham: 1

Bara: 2

Tanahun: 1

Rolpa: 1

Kaski: 2

Jhapa: 2