#nepalearthquake – Everest and #Dharara #Tower #Minar – shatterred

An historic 19th-century tower collapsed in the heart of Kathmandu’s old quarter after an earthquake on Saturday, with at least a dozen bodies seen pulled from the rubble and fears of scores still trapped.

The nine-storey Dharhara tower is a major tourist attraction in Durbar Square at the heart of Kathmandu’s historic old city where kings were once crowned, with its eighth-floor balcony providing panoramic views of the Kathmandu valley.

The tower — which was white, topped with a bronze minaret and contained a spiral staircase of over 200 steps — was reduced to just its base when the 7.8-magnitude quake struck at lunchtime.

“Devastating to see Dharhara (Bhimsen Tower) collapsed,” user Prabir Bhatt said on Twitter.