Nepali Information Minister Minendra Rijal said there had been "massive damage" at the epicentre, from where little information is emerging.
A national police spokesman told the BBC that 970 people had died in the quake, and that more than 1,700 had been injured. At least 539 people were killed in the Kathmandu valley, he added.
At least 10 people have been dead and several have sustained serious injuries on the treacherous Khumbu icefall on Mt Everest due to the deadliest avalanche triggered by a powerful 7.8 earthquake on Saturday. The government officials said that casualties may rise as many climbers have been reported to be trapped in the section of Camp 1 and Camp 2 when they were preparing for acclimatization. The base camp was tensed when hundreds of climbers started to run in and out of tents to save their lives when they suddenly saw ice and rocks falling towards the base camp, eye witnesses tweeted from Everest base camp. There were at least 1,200 climbers at the base camp including kitchen crew, porters and high-altitude guides.
