Huge Earthquake Kills Hundreds In Nepal, Triggers Everest Avalanche

A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on Saturday, killing hundreds of people and triggering a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.

The earthquake, the worst to hit the country in 80 years, caused massive destruction in the Himalayan nation, including destroying a 19th-century tower in the capital Kathmandu.

A Nepali government official told Reuters that 688 people were killed, including 188 in the Kathmandu.


Nepalese people walk past collapsed buildings at Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on April 25, 2015. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images)

The tremors rocked neighboring countries, killing 20 people in India, six in Tibet and two in Bangladesh, as well as two Chinese people on the Nepal-China border, according to the Associated Press.

The earthquake's epicenter was 50 miles east of Nepal's second largest city, Pokhara. It caused an avalanche on Mount Everest that left eight people dead, Reuters reported.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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