LIVE: Over 100 killed in Nepal earthquake; Modi speaks to Nepali PM, assures assistance

New Delhi: A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.9 on Richter scale and a series of aftershocks struck Nepal on Saturday. The quakes also jolted parts of North and Northeast India. Widespread damage has been reported from Nepal.

Here are the live updates:

• 36 bodies have been counted in Kathmandu civil hospital, reports Reuters.
• PM Modi is in contact with us, have assured that his government will provide full support in this moment of crisis - Deep K Upadhyay
• From reports of social media and other sources, around 100 people have lost their lives, numbers may increase, says Nepal's envoy to India Deep K Upadhyay.
• CNN quotes Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs as saying that 150 people have been killed in the earthquake disaster.
• CNN says 150 people have been killed in Nepal.
• AFP is quoting a Nepali diplomat as saying that 'possibly hundreds are dead' in the massive Nepal earthquake.
• Deep Kumar Upadhyay, Nepal's envoy to India, says his government has requested the Indian government for assistance.
• Tremors were also felt in Bhutan's capital Thimphu; however, there are no reports of any major damage or casualties.
• Home Minister Rajnath Singh and MoS Home have met PM Narendra Modi and briefed him on the situation.
• Reports say as many as 10 people were killed in Nepal's picturesque Pokhara area following the huge earthquake.
• All flights from India to Nepal have been cancelled as the Kathmandu airport is shut in the wake of a series of earthquakes.
• IANS reports that a total of five people, including two children, were killed when buildings collapsed in different parts of Bihar following the earthquake. The two children of the same family died in a wall collapse in Bhagalpur. One person each were killed in Sitamarhi, Darbhanga and Vaishali.
• The Ministry of Defence said that the Indian Army, Air Force and Border Roads Organisation have been put on high alert following the massive earthquake that shook Nepal and northern India.

                                            The tremor was also felt in Manipur today.       

• Tremors were also felt in several parts of Odisha triggering panic among the people.
• The north coastal Andhra Pradesh experienced mild tremors following the powerful earthquake that struck Nepal and parts of north and northeast India. However, no casualty or damage to property were reported.
• Nepal's information minister has told BBC that there has been massive damage in Gorkha, Lamjung and Bhaktapur.
• Helpline numbers to contact Indian Embassy in Nepal's Kathmandu are: 00977-9851107021; 00977-9851135141
• Relief and rescue operations are underway in Nepal where scores have been killed in a series of earthquake on Saturday.
• Many mountaineers are reported to be missing on Mount Everest which has been hit be several avalanches in the wake of the quake.
• As per USGS, there have been eight aftershocks so far ranging from magnitude 4.5 to 6.6.  
• There are also reports of houses collapsing in Tibet.
• Houses have collapsed in UP's Kushinagar due to the quake.
• Two people have died in Jalpaiguri due to a wall collapse; one person has died in Bihar's Bettiah also due to a wall collapse, reports ANI.
• The PM is out of the country, expect him to return, don't know how many dead or extent of damage - Lokendra Bahadur
• Lot of damage in Kathmandu according to reports. Mobile network isn't working properly so communication has been affected, says former Nepal PM Lokendra Bahadur Chand.
• Two people have died in Sitamarhi, Bihar - RP Rudy
• Power has been switched off in North Bihar for safety reasons - RP Rudy
• PM Modi has put disaster management teams on standby, he is monitoring the situation, says BJP leader RP Rudy.
• Nepali media reports that around 50 people are trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Dharahara Tower, and not 400 as reported earlier.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, meanwhile, spoken to Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav and discussed the situation in the wake of the quakes.

• Scores have died in Nepal due to the quake, Nepali media has reported with TV visuals showing bodies lying on the roads.
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says she is monitoring situation in the state.
• Two death are also being reported from Bihar Dharbhanga.
• Two people have reportedly died in UP's Barabanki due to earthquake-related events, while one person has also been killed in Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.
• An emergency meeting of National Crisis Management committee headed by the Indian Cabinet Secretary has been called.
• There is no preliminary report of damage anywhere in India due to the quake. Government has placed its disaster response agencies on full alert, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
• There are reports that the quakes have triggered avalanches in Mount Everest region. Base camp of mountaineers is also reported to have been hit.
• Many historic temples have also been reduced to rubble in Nepal, say reports.
• Kathmandu airport has been shut post the earthquake; all flights have been diverted to India
• Earthquake in Delhi. I appeal to people to maintain calm. Officials out in the field to assess the situation – Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweets
• A part of building has collapsed in Siliguri, West Bengal, due to the quake, reports ANI.
• Nepal's Lamjung, the epicentre of the quake, has reportedly flattened and only few buildings there are believed to be standing.
• There are reports of cracks developing at the airport in Kathmandu.
• Dharahara Tower / Bhimsen Tower, a 19th century nine-storey tall tower in Kathmandu, has collapsed, say reports. Nearly 400 people are believed to be trapped.
• Reuters is reporting at least two deaths in the Nepal quake so far.

The PMO has also spoken to the Indian Embassy in Bhutan in the wake of the earthquake. Embassy is in touch with top Bhutan officials as well – PMO tweet

PMO has tweeted that PM Modi has convened a high-level meeting with ministers and top officials at 3 pm today in the wake of the situation arising due to the earthquake.

PM Modi has instructed Rajiv Pratap Rudy to take stock of situation in Bihar/UP districts along Nepal border.

PMO India ✔@PMOIndia

PM is trying to reach Nepal PM Shri Sushil Koirala, who is abroad. He has spoken to President of Nepal Shri Ram Baran Yadav.

12:48 PM - 25 Apr 2015

• On instructions of PM Modi, all disaster management mechanisms have been activated in districts of Bihar/UP along Nepal border.
• News agency IANS has reported that at least one person was killed when an old building collapsed in the premises of the Indian consulate in Kathmandu. The dead person was a Nepalese national, according to a Nepal-based journalist.

The USGS has upgraded the magnitude of the first Nepal earthquake to 7.9 with a depth of 15 kilometres.

• Dozens of people with injuries are being rushed to the main hospital in central Kathmandu. There are however no immediate estimate on fatalities.
• News agency Associated Press is reporting that walls have toppled and buildings have collapsed in Kathmandu.
• Authorities are not ruling out more aftershocks.
• Sources say major damage is expected at the epicentre of the quake.
• Information is being collected from all districts, everyone is on the field - Nitish Kumar
• Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has asked the state administration to asses the situation following tremors.  
• The quakes were also felt in parts of Nepal, say reports.
• Stampede has been reported from Kutchery in Varanasi following the earthquake. More details are awaited.
• Tremors were also felt in North India, in cities like Delhi and Jaipur - Rathore
• The aftershock was of 6.6 magnitude and epicentre was at around the same place at Lamjung in Nepal - Rathore
• The intensity of the initial quake was 5 in Delhi - Rathore
• Earthquake of magnitude 7.5 was felt in north-west of Kathmandu, intense tremors felt in Bihar and West Bengal - LS Rathore, DG, Met department
• The BBC reports some buildings have been damaged in the quake in Nepal but there has been no initial word on any casualties.
• Earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred today at 11.41 am between latitude 28.1 North and Longitude 84.6 East. The epicentre was located in Nepal, an IMD statement said.
• A major aftershock is being experienced in North India.
• Mobile phone services affected across Nepal.
• Delhi Metro services were briefly suspended after the quake.

                                          There are reports of widespread damage in Nepal.

• People were seen rushing out of their homes and offices.
• The tremors in Delhi were felt for over a minute.
• In India, tremors were felt in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim.

        The magnitude of the quake in Nepal was recorded at 7.5 on the Richter scale, as per the USGS.

• As per the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentre of the quake was Lamjung in Nepal, 77 kilometres north-west of capital Kathmandu. The depth of the quake was 10 kilometres.
• A major earthquake has struck the North and Northeast India just before noon. - zeenews