Update 3 - At Least 876 Killed By Earthquake İn Nepal

Hundreds of people have been killed in Nepal after the Himalayan nation was hit by a powerful earthquake Saturday.



At least 876 people have been killed in different parts of the country according to figures released by the Nepali Police. 



The worst hit region has been the Kathmandu Valley, where at least 256 people have been found dead, and figures are expected to rise as victims are dug out from under collapsed buildings.



At least 25 people have died in India's northern state of Bihar, which borders Nepal, the state's chief minister Nitish Kumar said. 



The 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck 80 kilometers northwest of capital Kathmandu, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, but the tremors were felt as far away at New Delhi, Dhaka and Pakistan's Punjab region.



Buildings were destroyed and roads ruptured in Nepal while telephone and Internet communication was severely disrupted.



"The buildings started to shake and people fled their homes. Now more than five hours later, people are still on the streets," the Anadolu Agency's reporter in Kathmandu said. "There was panic all around, people were screaming, they were crying, they were carrying their babies. There was chaos."



There have been 18 aftershocks, all above 4.2-magnitude, since the original earthquake, causing further panic.



People have gathered in open spaces, where they are trying to contact family members, overloading the country's telephone networks.



Images shared on social media showed the scale of the devastation.



"Most new high rises in #Kathmandu ok, old buildings down. Temples reduced to rubble," Kunda Dixit, editor of the Nepali Times newspaper, posted on Twitter. "Aftershocks were major jolts almost as severe as the main quake."



The historic 62-meter tall Dharahara tower in central Kathmandu was brought crashing down by the quake, with scores of people believed to be trapped under the rubble.



Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to the news on Twitter:  "We are in the process of finding more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home & in Nepal."



NDTV reported that India has sent its first plane carrying four tons of aid to Nepal.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Nepal