A powerful earthquake struck Nepal Saturday, killing hundreds of people across a swath of four countries as the violently shaking earth collapsed houses, leveled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mt. Everest. It was the worst temblor to hit the poor South Asian nation in over 80 years.

At least 1,394 people were confirmed dead in Nepal, according to the police. Another 34 were killed in India, 10 in Tibet and two in Bangladesh. Two Chinese citizens died at the Nepal-China border. Authorities warned the death told was set to rise as reports came in from areas far away..

Pushpa Das, a laborer, ran from the house when the first quake struck but could not escape a collapsing wall that injured his arm.

"It was very scary. The earth was moving ... I am waiting for treatment but the (hospital) staff is overwhelmed," he said, gingerly holding his right arm with his left hand. As he spoke dozens of more people showed up with injuries, mostly from falling bricks.

The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 struck before noon and was most severely felt in the capital as well as the densely populated Kathmandu Valley. A magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and smaller aftershocks continued to ripple through the region for hours.

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The 2015 Nepal earthquake was a magnitude 7.8 (Mw) earthquake that occurred at 11:56 NST (6:11:26 UTC) on Saturday 25 April 2015, with the epicenter approximately 29 km (18 mi) east-southeast of Lamjung, Nepal, and the hypocenter at a depth of approximately 15 km (9.3 mi).[1] It is the most powerful earthquake to have hit Nepal since the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake. At least 1,523 people are known to have died as a result of the earthquake with casualties reported in four countries. Centuries-old buildings were destroyed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley including some at Kathmandu Durbar Square.