The earthquake in Nepal Breaking news about

More than 6,000 deaths have been confirmed, and the death toll is expected to rise. At least 18 were killed and dozens more were injured on Mount Everest, where the quake launched an avalanche. Dozens if not hundreds remain trapped under mounds of rubble. The nation's capital of Katmandu was particularly hard hit.

This is one of the shocking images.

It will be awhile before we know the full extent of the damage and the final death toll. At least 29 districts have been designated as crisis zones. Hospitals in the capital have been overwhelmed. About 90% of the 1,000 homes in the villages of Laprak and Barpak near the epicenter were destroyed.

Kathmandu is full of small, poorly constructed brick apartment buildings, and the quake destroyed swaths of the oldest neighborhoods, even as more modern structures stood firm. Most areas were without power and water.

The poor people could do nothing but pray to live.

Hundreds of thousands of people continue to sleep outdoors, too scared to return to their shattered homes for fear of aftershocks. More than 5,000 people have now been reported killed and some 10,000 injured

The situation remains critical in rural areas near the epicentre. Some 90% of the people have lost their homes and livestock, and have no way of getting food. It’s an anxious and uncertain time for so many people.