Earthquake death toll tops 4,000

UPDATE: The death toll in Nepal has now topped 4,000 as rescue and medical teams pour into the country from all around the world.

While 90 percent of Nepal’s military works to find victims and deliver supplies to remote areas, India sent six helicopters and seven trucks to help. Seven Indian medical teams and seven more search and rescue teams are working in the capital, Kathmandu. Chinese doctors set up a field hospital 18 miles to the east in the mountain resort town of Dhulikhel.

Additional teams from Russia, Japan, France, Switzerland, and Singapore are expected to arrive in the next few days.

Meanwhile, geological experts say Nepal must rebuild better—and stronger—if it hopes to avoid a worse disaster in the future. Hari Kumar of GeoHazards International said experts predict an 8.0 magnitude quake will strike the Himalayan region in the future. Saturday’s tremor registered at 7.8.

“For Kathmandu, this is their moment of change,” he said. “I know it is a tragic time, many of their buildings are (fallen) down, but I think this is their time to turn it around.”

UPDATE (7:45 a.m. EDT): Police in Nepal say the death toll from Saturday’s earthquake has risen to 3,617. But as search and rescue teams work to reach remote Himalayan villages, the number of victims is expected to rise. More than 6,300 people have been injured, and tens of thousands were left homeless.

Nepalese officials say 18 people died on Mount Everest after an avalanche buried part of the base camp. But climbers who survived and made their way down the mountain say more people could be buried under the snow and are most certainly dead. The massive quake also killed 61 people in India and 20 people in Tibet.

Aftershocks continue to roll through the area, and many residents are staying outside to avoid being trapped in buildings they fear might come down. Much of Kathmandu, the nation’s capital, is without power or running water. But on Monday morning, some bakeries began selling fresh bread, and a few pharmacies and shops offering basic provisions opened.

“We are appealing for tents, dry goods, blankets, mattresses, and 80 different medicines that the health department is seeking that we desperately need now,” Nepal’s rescue coordinator, Lila Mani Poudyal, told reporters. “We don’t have the helicopters that we need or the expertise to rescue the people trapped.”

India, China, and Pakistan provided immediate aid, and 10 other countries, including the United States, provided help as well.

As rescue teams continue to pull people from the rubble alive, the country is in great need of doctors to treat them, Poudyal said. The country’s hospitals are overwhelmed with injured patients.

UPDATE (April 25, 1:45 p.m. EDT): An American aid worker based in Kathmandu, said his family was safe but asked for prayer for the country after the earthquake that struck Saturday.

The aid worker was taking pictures of the Rato Machhindranath rain god temple in Bungamati, a village south of Kathmandu, when the quake hit.

"I watched it crumble in front of my eyes,” he said.

Bungamati is the site of a regular religious rain festival that began earlier this week and drew a reported 3,000 revelers.

On Saturday evening in Nepal, the aid worker wrote on Facebook he was sleeping outdoors on the ground at a friend’s house.

"Constant aftershocks. Exhausted and a bit in shock. Stores are closed. Food and clean water will be an issue in days to come,” he wrote. “Please continue to pray."

UPDATE (April 25, 12:38 p.m. EDT): Nepalese officials now say at least 1,130 people died in today's earthquake, with another 34 killed in India. The total number of dead across four countries stands at 1,180 but is expected to rise.

At least 16 aftershocks have jolted the area, sending residents into the streets for safety. Although most buildings in Kathmandu remain standing, outlying areas suffered extensive damage.

"Our village has been almost wiped out. Most of the houses are either buried by landslide or damaged by shaking," said Vim Tamang, a resident of Manglung village near the epicenter. He said half the village's residents are either missing or dead. "All the villagers have gathered in the open area. We don't know what to do. We are feeling helpless."

OUR EARLIER REPORT (April 25, 9 a.m. EDT): Hundreds are dead following a powerful earthquake that hit Nepal on Saturday, reducing buildings to rubble and triggering an avalanche on Mt. Everest.

Officials say at least 688 people have been confirmed dead in Nepal, 20 in India, six in Tibet and two in Bangladesh. But with such widespread destruction spread through remote areas, the death toll is expected to rise.

The tremor was the worst to hit Nepal in 80 years. It had a magnitude of 7.8 and struck at a few minutes before noon. Officials warned people to remain outdoors to escape more damage from powerful aftershocks that shook the region.

According to the U.S. Geological Service, Saturday's quake was about 16 times more powerful than the temblor that devastated Haiti in 2010.

The shaking in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, brought down several historic landmarks. One, the nine-story Dharahara Tower, was built in the 1800s and recognized as a UNESCO historical monument. Nearby residents reported people remained trapped in the rubble.

The Kathmandu Valley is home to almost 2.5 million people packed into buildings that often are poorly constructed. But reports indicate most of the buildings in the capital itself remained standing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.