
This is the eerie moment hundreds of birds suddenly filled the sky when the devastating earthquake rocked the Nepalese capital, destroying buildings and burying people under mountains of rubble.

The terrifying footage was taken as the 7.8-magnitude quake hit Kathmandu in a disaster that has killed 4,352 people across the region.

It begins with a peaceful scene showing blue skies above the city while music plays and people chat happily in the background at around noon on Saturday.

But the calm is shattered when the massive tremor strikes, violently shaking buildings, smashing plates and sending people running for cover in the city's historic Durbar Square.

Hundreds of birds are then seen fleeing the area en masse as a huge cloud of dust is spewed high above the city, darkening the sky.

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Caught on video: Hundreds of birds fill the sky above Kathmandu as a massive earthquake hits the Napalese capital in a disaster that has killed 4,352 across the region

Eerie: The calm was shattered when the massive tremor hit, violently shaking buildings in the Nepalese city's historic Durbar Square

Calm: The video began with a peaceful scene showing blue skies above the city while music plays and people chat happily in the background

The video, published by Sozcu TV and Live Leak, emerged as thousands of Nepalis began escaping the capital today, terror-stricken by two days of powerful aftershocks and fearing shortages of food and water after the earthquake struck.

Roads leading out of the mountain valley city of one million were jammed with people, many with babies in their arms, trying to climb onto buses or hitch a ride aboard cars and trucks.

Huge queues had formed at Kathmandu airport with people desperate to get a flight out.

Many said they had slept in the open since Saturday's quake, either because their homes were flattened or they were terrified that aftershocks would bring them crashing down.

'We are escaping,' said Krishna Muktari , who runs a small grocery store in Kathmandu city, standing at a major road intersection.

'How can you live here? I have got children, they can't be rushing out of the house all night.'

A photograph provided by India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) shows a young child being pulled from a hole in the ground

A Nepalese police officer walks among the rubble of collapsed buildings after the earthquake in Kathmandu

A man walks through destruction caused by the earthquake, in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu

Race against time: A rescue team with a sniffer dog search for survivors among the rubble in Bhaktapur on the outskirts of Kathmandu after a devastating earthquake struck the region on Saturday

A Nepalese man carries a child as he walks past destroyed buildings in Bhaktapur, just outside Kathmandu

Grim task: Rescue teams identify bodies dug out of the collapsed Sitapyla church in Kathmandu

Members of the Nepalese army pull a dead body from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kathmandu

The disaster is thought to have cost more than $5billion (£3.3bn) or around 20 per cent of the country's GDP.

Overwhelmed authorities were trying to cope with a shortage of drinking water and food as well as the threat of disease.

The sick and wounded were lying out in the open in Kathmandu, unable to find beds in the devastated city's hospitals.

Surgeons set up an operating theatre inside a tent in the grounds of Kathmandu Medical College.

PayPal announced it was waiving fees for donations to several aid organisations.

'We are overwhelmed with rescue and assistance requests from all across the country,' said Deepak Panda, a member of the country's disaster management.

Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) members attend a rescue operation among the debris of a house after a powerful earthquake hits Kathmandu

Salvaging their life's possessions: People collect their remaining belongings and food from the rubble after the earthquake that destroyed homes in Kumalpur village, on the outskirts of capital Kathmandu

An elderly woman mourns in front of her destroyed home in the Kumalpur village, just outside Kathmandu

Footage has also emerged showing a group of Nepalese YouTube pranksters making a joke video when it was interrupted by the earthquake.

Unaware of the seriousness of the situation, they carried on laughing and joking – until the full extent of the tragedy dawned.

They ended up filming 18 minutes of harrowing footage, recording the initial impact of the disaster, the shock and the desperate relief efforts, which they posted on their YouTube channel Nepali Pranksters.

Meanwhile, high in the Himalayas, hundreds of climbers were staying put at the Mount Everest base camp where a huge avalanche after the earthquake killed 17 people in the single worst disaster to hit the world's highest mountain.

A desperate helicopter rescue mission was under way today, with one British mountaineer there speaking of a 'race against time' to pluck around 120 people to safety as food runs out.

James Grieve, 52, speaking over a satellite phone from Camp One said that the rescue effort was being hampered by storms and the party's supplies would last only a few more days.

He was speaking as terrifying amateur video footage emerged of a massive avalanche – triggered by the quake – hitting Everest base camp.

Reduced to rubble: Nepalis gather at the top of large mound where a temple once stood to view the scene of devastation in Kathmandu after the 7.9-magnitude quake hit the Nepalese capital

Devastation: Thousands of Nepalis began escaping the capital today, terror-stricken by two days of powerful aftershocks and fearing shortages of food and water after the earthquake struck

Authorities were trying to cope with a shortage of drinking water and food and the threat of disease

Wiped out: Incredible before-and-after satellite images show the extent of the devastation across Kathmandu

Nepal's mountaineering department said at least 18 people had been killed and 61 were injured in the avalanche, while an unknown number were still missing.

Mr Grieve, of Kinross, Scotland, told The Sun: 'Everyone is apprehensive about what's happening and what will happen in the next 24 hours. We have a few days of food and drink left.

'Our tents have all been lost and we have around 18 dead bodies at base camp.

'Rescue teams are struggling to get us help due to the weather and the next few days' forecasts are not great.

'There is a lot of confusion in the camp and there are still about 120 of us here waiting to be rescued. We are in a race against time to get off the mountain.'

He estimated up to 50 people had been killed and said there was a plan for helicopters to rescue them today, although 'the choppers are only taking two people off at a time'.

He said he believed it could be Wednesday when they would be brought to safety but warned of a forecast metre of snow which could set search teams back.

'EARTHQUAKE TOURISTS' CRITICISED FOR TAKING SELFIES AMONG THE RUINS IN THE NEPALESE CAPITAL Selfie enthusiasts have been criticised for taking pictures among the rubble in the quake-hit Nepalese capital instead of 'understanding the tragedy'. Near Kathmandu's famed Dharahara Tower, a historic nine-story structure reduced to an enormous pile of red brick dust, dozens of people clambered around the debris clicking selfies and photos of their friends posing in front of the wreckage. It is unclear how many people were killed in the tower, but it was believed to have been filled with tourists. Pawan Thapa, a 21-year-old business student who arrived from the suburbs to try to help with the recovery effort, was dismayed by the scene in which some of those taking pictures were smiling for the camera. 'This is earthquake tourism. This is not right,' he said. 'They are more interested in clicking their selfies than understanding that it is a tragedy.' Most of those taking pictures, however, did not appear to be tourists but area residents capturing the devastation of the community, and the loss of a landmark that had helped define it. A man takes a selfie at the historic Dharahara Tower, a city landmark, that was damaged in Saturday's earthquake in Kathmandu Locals take pictures with their phones at the historic Dharahara Tower, a city landmarkdamaged in Saturday's earthquake in Kathmandu Advertisement

Wrecked: Volunteers help remove debris at the historic Dharahara tower after the earthquake in Kathmandu

The paper said he was in a party with fellow British climbers Alex Staniforth, 19, of Chester, expedition leader Daniel Mazur, from Bristol and Sam and Alex Chappatte, from London.

On Twitter yesterday, Mr Staniforth's UK-based support team revealed the difficulty caused by the weather.

They said: 'Alex has just texted via sat phone. They will spend another night at C1. Weather has drawn in making it too difficult to fly choppers.'

After the 6.7-magnitude aftershock, Mr Mazur tweeted: 'Aftershock @ 1pm! Horrible here in camp 1. Avalanches on 3 sides. C1 a tiny island. We worry about icefall team below.. Alive?'

He later said: 'Icefall scouts back w/ news: GOOD: route is there. BAD: it sustained damage. V BAD: icefall Sherpas bc gone; ran away to Namche!'

His latest tweet, sent on Monday morning, read: 'Helicopters are now rescuing climbers and sherpas from Camp One on Everest, back down to Base Camp.'

Danish climber Carsten Lillelund Pedersen posted dramatic footage on his website Use The World of one of the first rescue helicopters to reach Everest.

It shows it landing on rocky terrain and two rescuers in yellow and black clothing being led to those in need of help.

Residents rescue items from debris of a house that was damaged in Saturday's earthquake in Kathmandu

Seeking solace: A Hindu Nepalese woman prays at Indrayani temple after it was destroyed by the earthquake

A Nepalese man prays next to a building damaged in Saturday's earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal

People pray before cremating the body of a victim of Saturday's earthquake, along a river in Kathmandu

A group of Nepalese prankster were filming a joke video (above) when it was interrupted by the earthquake. Unaware of the seriousness of the situation, they carried on laughing and joking – until the full extent of the tragedy dawned on them

The group ended up filming 18 minutes of harrowing footage, recording the impact of the disaster, the shock and the desperate relief efforts

The horrifying video of an avalanche hitting Base Camp was taken by climber Jost Kobusch, who worked in the Special Forces in the German Mountain Army.

He said he felt the ground shaking and saw people sprinting away from the cloud of snow.

Dutch climber Eric Arnold described in a moving blog the horror of walking through Base Camp, which he described as a 'crash site'.

He wrote: 'We walk through the base camp and see if we can help somewhere. We can not do anything. In the morning the weather is equally clear.

'At that time, 35 wounded by helicopter to Kathmandu transported. Seventeen people have sadly deceased by the disaster.

'The camps of Adventure Consultants and Summit Climb are particularly badly hit.

'I see very personal stuff - a log book, shampoo, slippers, reading glasses, everything. It reminds me of the images of a crashed plane. BC is nothing more than a crash site at this time.

'Some deaths have a face, a cameraman who walked two days in our camp is no longer alive.'

Nepalese victims lie inside an Indian air force helicopter as they are evacuated from Trishuli Bazar to Kathmandu airport in Nepal

A member of the Indian Air Force carries a Nepalese child who was wounded in Saturday's earthquake

An Indian Air Force person carries a Nepalese child, wounded in Saturday's earthquake, to a waiting ambulance after the child and mother were evacuated from a remote area at the airport in Kathmandu

A Nepalese family rest in their makeshift shelter next to a road in Kathmandu two days after the quake

A child peeks out of a hole in a temporary tent in an open ground in Kathmandu after a powerful earthquake followed by strong aftershocks struck Nepal, in Kathmandu, Nepal

Earthquake survivors line up as an Army tank provides drinking water in an open ground in Kathmandu

Carnage: Footage from a helicopter shows the devastation across huge swathes of land in Nepal

Rescue teams, helped by clear weather, used helicopters to airlift scores of people trapped at higher altitudes

A man is pulled alive from the ruins as his friend lies lifeless next to him in Swyambhu in the Kathmandu Valley yesterday after he was trapped for nearly 24 hours

Nepal's mountaineering department said at least 18 people had been killed and 61 were injured in the avalanche, while an unknown number were still missing.

Rescue teams, helped by clear weather, used helicopters to airlift scores of people stranded at higher altitudes, two at a time.

Across Kathmandu and beyond, exhausted families laid mattresses out on streets and erected tents to shelter from rain.

People queued for water dispensed from the back of trucks, while the few stores still open had next to nothing on their shelves. Crowds jostled for medicine at one pharmacy.

The United Nations Childreds Fund said nearly one million children in Nepal were severely affected by the quake, and warned of waterborne and infectious diseases.

Amateur video footage shows how a group of climbers ran for their lives as the Nepal earthquake hit at Everest Base Camp yesterday

HUNDREDS OF CLIMBERS STRANDED ON EVEREST AWAITING RESCUE More than 700 climbers are stranded on Mount Everest awaiting helicopters after the avalanche blocked off all access points. Between 17 and 19 people were killed when ice and rock crushed the base camp on Saturday. On Sunday morning, a fleet of six helicopters managed to lift 22 of the most injured climbers and sherpas to Kathmandu for treatment. But bad weather, continued aftershocks, and poor communication has scuppered subsequent trips, leaving hundreds stranded. The avalanche started on the nearby 23,000-foot Mount Kimori, which sent ice and rock speeding down the mountain towards the base camp. Aftershocks, measuring around 6 on the Richter scale, have continued to pile snow on to the remaining trails, meaning it is no longer safe to attempt a climb down. More than 700 climbers are stranded on Mount Everest awaiting helicopters after the avalanche blocked off all access points One expedition instructor, Daniel Mazur, managed to tweet an update from the mountains at midday Eastern Time. He informed his followers a route had been found but it is badly damaged. Most of the sherpas assisting their climb, he said, have fled to the nearby village of Namche. Another, Adrian Ballinger, tweeted from the Tibetan side of the Himalayas. He said the survivors have shared 'shots of blessed whiskey, hugs and smiles' as they await rescue. American cardiologist Ellen Gallant has been providing medical assistance to the injured climbers that missed the helicopter. She told AFP how, despite their efforts, one young Nepali man died due to lack of treatment. 'Of the nine patients, one of them died last night - a 25-year-old sherpa. His blood pressure had fallen - there was nothing we could do. 'When you go to medical school, you learn to focus on the task at hand. But now that things have settled down, it's hit me hard. That young man... shouldn't have to die.' Advertisement

Footage shows a huge wall of snow and debris hurtling towards Everest Base Camp as climbers run for cover

In the temple town of Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu, centuries old buildings had collapsed and those that were still standing had cracks. Many residents were living in tents in a school compound.

'We have become refugees,' said Sarga Dhaoubadel, a management student whose ancestors had built her Bhaktapur family home four centuries ago.

They were subsisting on instant noodles and fruit, she said.

'No one from the government has come to offer us even a glass of water,' she said.

'Nobody has come to even check our health. We are totally on our own here. All we can hope is that the aftershocks stop and we can try and get back home.'

Stranded: Alex Staniforth (left) and Dan Mazur (right) are two of the British climbers on Everest lined up to be rescued by helicopter

Honeymooners Sam and Alex Chappatte are trapped on Everest in a team being led by Daniel Mazur

HOW RELIEF WORKERS ARE USING PAST EXPERIENCES TO HELP THOSE CAUGHT UP IN THE DISASTER Dr Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards at Nottingham Trent University, said: 'Tectonically active, steep mountainous areas with high rainfall are amongst the most hazard-prone environments in the world. 'As we are seeing, an earthquake can not only cause extensive damage and loss of life through the direct effects of ground shaking, but also through secondary impacts such as landslides and avalanches. 'Access to remote communities will be restricted by landslides and no doubt helicopters will be in great demand as they were during the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. 'The relief effort is gearing up and making use of the 'cluster system', which is now the basis of international humanitarian coordination in disasters like that unfolding in Nepal. 'Good coordination is vital in these kinds of emergencies and clusters are groups of humanitarian organisations working in sectors of need such as shelter, logistics, food security and health. 'It is important that the provision of aid is based on need rather than capacity and the cluster system was devised to ensure a coherent, organised approach.' Advertisement

More than 3,700 people were confirmed killed in the 7.9-magnitude quake, a police official said on Monday, the worst in Nepal since 1934 when 8,500 died. More than 6,500 were injured.

Another 66 were killed across the border in India and at least another 20 in Tibet, China's state news agency said.

The toll is likely to rise as rescuers struggle to reach remote regions in the impoverished, mountainous country of 28 million people and as bodies buried under rubble are recovered.

'There is no electricity, no water. Our main challenge and priority is to restore electricity and water,' said home ministry official Laxmi Prasad Dhakal.

'The next big challenge is the supply of food. Shopkeepers are unable to go in and open their shops. So people are facing difficulty buying food.'

Several countries rushed to send aid and personnel.

India flew in medical supplies and members of its National Disaster Response Force. China sent a 60-strong emergency team.

Pakistan's army said it was sending four C-130 aircraft with a 30-bed hospital, search and rescue teams and relief supplies.

A Pentagon spokesman said a U.S. military aircraft with 70 personnel left the United States on Sunday and was due in Kathmandu on Monday.

Australia, Britain and New Zealand said they were sending specialist urban search-and-rescue teams to Kathmandu at Nepal's request.

Britain, which believes several hundred of its nationals are in Nepal, was also delivering supplies and medics.

However, there has been little sign of international assistance on the ground so far, with some aid flights prevented from landing by aftershocks that closed Kathmandu's main airport several times on Sunday.

Facebook has activated its 'Safety Check' feature in response to the earthquake in Nepal.

The feature, launched in October, allows users to tell friends and family they are safe if they are in the middle of a disaster area.

Facebook engineers in Japan started development on the feature after the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.

The Kathmandu earthquake is one of the first natural disasters where it has been used.

Video footage shows climbers emerging from their tents to find the Everest Base Camp flattened

Rescuers in Nepal are searching frantically for survivors of the huge earthquake, which has killed thousands

Google, which lost an employee in an avalanche as a result of the earthquake, has activated its own disaster tool called 'Person Finder' and is updating satellite imagery to help with relief efforts.

Google is also donating $1million toward relief efforts, the company said.

The disaster has underlined the woeful state of Nepal's medical facilities.

Nepal has only 2.1 physicians and 50 hospital beds for every 10,000 people, according to a 2011 World Health Organization report.

Rajiv Biswas, Asia Pacific chief economist at business research firm IHS, said long-term reconstruction costs in Nepal using proper building standards for an earthquake zone could be more than $5billion (£3.3bn) or around 20 per cent of the country's GDP.

'With housing construction standards in Nepal being extremely low... the impact of the earthquake has been devastating based on initial reports,' he said in an early analysis of the likely damage.