World's deadliest recent earthquakes - Short Version
- Iran, 2003: More than 26,000 people killed in 6.6 earthquake near the city of Bam
- Indonesia, 2004: Devastating 9.1 earthquake and ensuing tsunami off the Sumatran province of Aceh kills more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries
- Pakistani-administered Kashmir, 2005: 7.6 earthquake near Muzafferabad kills about 100,000 people
- China, 2008: Nearly 90,000 killed in 7.9 earthquake in eastern Sichuan province
- Haiti, 2010: More than 220,000 people killed in 7.0 magnitude earthquake
A magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook Nepal's capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley on Saturday, the worst quake in the Himalayan nation in over 80 years.
The world's strongest earthquakes since 1900:
May 22, 1960: A magnitude-9.5 earthquake in southern Chile and ensuing tsunami kill at least 1,716 people.
March 28, 1964: A magnitude-9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska, kills 131 people, including 128 from a tsunami.
Dec. 26, 2004: A magnitude-9.1 quake in Indonesia triggers an Indian Ocean tsunami, killing 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
March 11, 2011: A magnitude-9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan triggers a tsunami, killing more than 18,000 people.
Nov. 4, 1952: A magnitude-9.0 quake in Kamchatka in Russia's Far East causes damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.
Feb. 27, 2010: A magnitude-8.8 quake shakes Chile, generating a tsunami and killing 524 people.
Jan. 31, 1906: A magnitude-8.8 quake off the coast of Ecuador generates a tsunami that kills at least 500 people.
Feb. 4, 1965: A magnitude-8.7 quake strikes Alaska's Rat Islands, causing an 11-meter (35-foot) -high tsunami.
March 28, 2005: A magnitude-8.6 quake in northern Sumatra in Indonesia kills about 1,300 people.
Aug. 15, 1950: A magnitude-8.6 earthquake in Tibet kills at least 780 people.
April 11, 2012: A magnitude-8.6 quake off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia triggers tsunami warnings in more than two dozen nations.
March 9, 1957: A magnitude-8.6 quake strikes the Andreanof Islands in Alaska triggers a 16-meter (52-foot) -high tsunami.
Sept. 12, 2007: A magnitude-8.5 quake near Sumatra in Indonesia kills at least 25 people.
Feb. 1, 1938: A magnitude-8.5 quake in Banda Sea, Indonesia, generates a small tsunami.
Feb. 3, 1923: A magnitude-8.5 quake in Kamchatka in Russia's Far East triggers a tsunami.
Nov. 11, 1922: A magnitude-8.5 quake along the Chile-Argentina border triggers a tsunami that causes damage along Chile's coast.
Oct. 13, 1963: A magnitude-8.5 quake in the Kuril Islands triggers a tsunami.
These include a nine-storey tower, temples and some parts of what was once a royal palace, all listed as Unesco world heritage sites.
Pictures posted on social media show some of the monuments have been reduced to rubble.
Eyewitnesses say several others now have cracks and could collapse.
Officials have said some temples and monuments at other world heritage sites near Kathmandu have also been damaged.
These sites are Nepal's major tourist attractions.
Nepal had lost several such monuments during a major earthquake in 1934.
There are also reports of damage to Kathmandu airport which could hamper relief operations.
With little known about the extent of the damage around the earthquake's epicentre, there are fears the death toll could rise.
Aftershocks continued to ripple through the region hours later.
The quake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing at least eight people, and another five in Tibet, officials and reports say.
"Running for life from my tent. Unhurt. Many many people up the mountain," tweeted mountaineer Alex Gavan.
The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.