Close to 4,000 people are known to have died in Nepal and neighbouring, India and China as a result of Saturday’s earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, the CNN has reported.

By nightfall on Monday in Nepal’s capital Katmandu more than 7,000 people were known to have been injured.

Power blackouts in Kathmandu and difficulties getting around complicate the efforts of rescue teams to find survivors under the rubble. With hospitals short on medical supplies and overflowing with patients Nepalese authorities are running against time to help as many people injured as possible.

Almost the entire army and police force of Nepal is involved in the search and rescue operation, the BBC quoted local officials as saying.

Nepal has called for more international aid to deal with the consequences of the earthquake.

The Nepalese government's Chief Secretary, Lila Mani Poudyal, said his country was short of relief materials and medical teams and was in a desperate need for "tents, dry goods, blankets, mattresses and 80 different medicines", according to the BBC.

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