Powerful Quake Plunges Nepal's Capital in Chaos, Panic

Kathmandu, April 27 (ANTARA Lampung/Xinhua-OANA) - The whole city of Kathmandu was shaking violently. Many buildings collapsed, and rubble and debris could be seen scattered among cracked streets.

A Xinhua reporter in Kathmandu has witnessed a violent 7.8 magnitude earthquake that stroke somewhere less than 60 km away from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu at 11:45 am local time (0600 GMT) on Saturday.

According a senior official with the country's Home Ministry, the death toll had reached at least 711.

The sudden quake plunged the whole city into chaos and panic. Residents huddled in the streets and other outdoor places.

Telecommunications were also seriously damaged citywide, with a large number of people unable to be accounted for at the moment.

A witness told Xinhua that a building of a four-star hotel has collapsed with many guests still trapped inside.

Police and the army were trying to help people trapped under the rubble. Ambulances and rescue teams have been dispatched to the worst-hit areas, with helicopters hovering above Kathmandu, a city of 1 million population.

A hospital near the city's downtown area was already overwhelmed by people who sought first-aid treatment. The injured were being treated in makeshift shelters outside the hospital.

The weather was fine in Kathmandu, which would not affect most rescue operations.

The quake also devastated many historical sites in the city. Two thirds of the buildings at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were reduced to a heap of ruins, while the walls of the old royal palaces of Nepal crumbled into pieces.

In addition, the landmark tower Dharahara, which was built in 1832, collapsed almost completely, with many people feared being buried under the rubble.

The Kathmandu airport has been temporarily shut down.

Xie Bin, a Chinese tourist in Nepal, told Xinhua that his tourist group, comprised of about 200 Chinese citizens, was stranded in Kathmandu Airport. But no one was injured.

According to Cheng Ji, the counselor to the Chinese embassy in Nepal, two Chinese nationals who worked at the China-Nepal border, were killed in the quake.

He also said that as many Chinese tourists were traveling on foot in the country where infrastructure was underdeveloped, the embassy still needed more time to give an accurate report on casualty of Chinese citizens.

Aftershocks continued to ripple through the region hours after the powerful earthquake. Many people were waiting in the open air for fear of more powerful tremors.