Story highlights
- More than 1,800 deaths reported after Nepal earthquake
- Rescue efforts range from digging by hand to military deployments
(CNN)It started with neighbors and local officials digging with their hands through the rubble.
As soon as a deadly earthquake stopped rattling a swath of Nepal, before the scope of the damage was calculated, the digging began.
The magnitude-7.8 earthquake has killed more than 1,800 people, and the death toll is expected to rise.
One witness, Joe McEnness, captured a photo of police officers in Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital, trying to dig survivors out of a collapsed building.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said its volunteers and staff were aiding rescue efforts and providing first aid to the injured.
The Red Cross opened a blood bank in Kathmandu.
Reports from Nepal indicated that hospitals were overflowing with patients and suffering from shortages.
One doctor in the outskirts of Kathmandu put out a plea for engineers to come to his hospital to help back up the electricity supply.
"Victims will be dying if we don't have it," Dr. Subhash Acharya tweeted.
At another hospital, CNN's Manesh Shrestha saw people being turned away as doctors focused on the most dire needs, he said. He saw people lying outside with broken bones and head injuries.
With communication limited, many turned to social media to ask for help locating their loved ones.
Google India launched a person finder website to work as a clearinghouse for information on those who are missing and those who have been found.
As of Saturday night in Nepal, Google was tracking some 1,400 records.
Facebook activated Safety Check, which alerts users of any friends who are in the disaster zone. Those in the affected area can use Facebook to alert their family and friends that they are OK.
Swift international response
The U.S. government is providing $1 million in immediate assistance, the U.S. Embassy in Nepal said.
American disaster response teams are also on their way to the country, the Embassy said via Twitter.
Nepal's neighbor India deployed teams to Kathmandu almost immediately.
Within hours of the quake, India had sent almost 300 personnel, along with search dogs and supplies.
The equipment arrived in Nepal via a series of cargo and airlift planes, including a C-130 Super Hercules, one IL-76, and two C-17 Globemasters, according to India's Ministry of Defense.
Two additional helicopters were deployed from India but turned back because of bad weather, the ministry said.
India said Sunday that it would dispatch 10 more aid flights to Nepal, along with 10 helicopters to assist in search-and-rescue efforts. Disaster management and medical personnel as well as mobile hospitals, food, water, blankets and medicine will be on the aid flights, Ministry of Defense spokesman Sitanshu Kar said.
Pakistan announced it is sending a medical team, a 30-bed hospital and search-and-rescue experts.
The Pakistani search team is specialized for rescues in natural disasters, officials said, and comes equipped with ground-penetrating radar and concrete cutters.
Pakistan is sending meals, water, medicine and other supplies. China, meanwhile, announced that it will send 40 rescuers and six search dogs.
Israel's military was preparing to send a team to assess the damage from the quake ahead of a humanitarian mission, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Hikers around Mount Everest run for lives, treat injured
Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Volunteers carry a body recovered from the debris of a collapsed building in Kathmandu.
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A victim's body is seen in the debris of the collapsed Dharahara on April 25.
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Emergency rescue workers carry a victim from Dharahara after the tower in Kathmandu collapsed on April 25.
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People free a man from the rubble of a destroyed building in Kathmandu.
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A man walks past a collapsed temple at Basantapur Durbar Square.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rescue workers clear debris in Kathmandu while searching for survivors.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People huddle together outside a hospital in Kathmandu. Eyewitnesses said residents were scared and waiting for aftershocks to end.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People search for survivors stuck under the rubble of a destroyed building in Kathmandu.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Emergency rescue workers search for survivors in the debris of Dharahara on April 25.
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An injured child lies on the ground outside a hospital in Kathmandu on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Nepalese rescue workers gather at the ruins of Dharahara.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People help with rescue efforts at the site of a collapsed building in Kathmandu.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Injured people receive treatment in Kathmandu. A CNN reporter said medics were focused on treating the most severely injured.
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Rescuers remove debris at Basantapur Durbar Square while looking for survivors of the massive quake.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
The rubble of collapsed walls fills a street in Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
An injured child receives treatment outside Medicare Hospital in Kathmandu on April 25. Residents, after a relentless series of aftershocks, have been remaining outdoors.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
A man carries his dog past earthquake damage in Kathmandu.
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An utility pole lies on top of a vehicle in Kathmandu.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People walk on a mangled road in Kathmandu.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rubble is seen in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on April 25. Electrical power was cut to the capital after the quake.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Injured people are treated outside a hospital in Kathmandu.
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An elderly woman is helped to her home after being treated for her injuries in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on Sunday, April 26. A magnitude-7.8 earthquake Saturday, centered less than 50 miles from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, left widespread destruction and death.
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Rescue workers remove debris on April 26 as they search for victims in Bhaktapur.
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Family members break down on April 26 during the cremation of a loved one killed in the earthquake in Bhaktapur.
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Smoke from funeral pyres fills the air at the Pashupatinath temple on the banks of Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 26.
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Members of India's National Disaster Response Force look for survivors in Kathmandu on April 26.
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Rescue workers remove debris as they search for victims of the earthquake in Bhaktapur on April 26.
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People look at the debris of one of the oldest temples in Kathmandu on April 26, after it suffered damage from the earthquake.
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People sleep on a street in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Saturday, April 25. A seemingly endless series of aftershocks continued to roil the area, further traumatizing survivors.
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Civilian rescuers carry a person on a stretcher in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25.
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People try to free a man from the rubble in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25. Cheers rose from the piles when people were found alive -- but mostly bodies turned up.
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Pedestrians walk past collapsed buildings in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25.
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Azim Afif, of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia climbing team, provided this photo of their Mount Everest base camp after it was ravaged by an avalanche triggered by the earthquake on April 25. All of Afif's five-member team survived.
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Rescuers clear rubble in Kathmandu's Basantapur Durbar Square on April 25.
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A temple on Hanumandhoka Durbar Square lies in ruins after an earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25.
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Dharahara, a tower dating back to 1832 that rose more than 60 meters (200 feet) and provided breathtaking views of Kathmandu and the surrounding Himalayas, collapsed in the earthquake on April 25.
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Buildings shaken off their foundations in Kathmandu. The quake, which struck at 11:56 a.m. local time (2:11 a.m. ET) on Saturday, April 25, occurred at a depth of 9.3 miles -- considered shallow -- in the Kathmandu Valley, which has suffered major earthquakes in the past, most recently a magnitude-8.1 event in 1934.
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The hand of a statue is seen under debris in Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu.
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A Nepalese man and woman hold each other in Kathmandu's Basantapur Durbar Square on April 25.
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A victim of Nepal's earthquake lies in the debris of Dharahara after it collapsed on April 25 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
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Rescuers look for victims under a collapsed building in Kathmandu on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Volunteers carry a body recovered from the debris of a collapsed building in Kathmandu.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
A victim's body is seen in the debris of the collapsed Dharahara on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Emergency rescue workers carry a victim from Dharahara after the tower in Kathmandu collapsed on April 25.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People free a man from the rubble of a destroyed building in Kathmandu.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
A man walks past a collapsed temple at Basantapur Durbar Square.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rescue workers clear debris in Kathmandu while searching for survivors.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People huddle together outside a hospital in Kathmandu. Eyewitnesses said residents were scared and waiting for aftershocks to end.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People search for survivors stuck under the rubble of a destroyed building in Kathmandu.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Emergency rescue workers search for survivors in the debris of Dharahara on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
An injured child lies on the ground outside a hospital in Kathmandu on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Nepalese rescue workers gather at the ruins of Dharahara.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People help with rescue efforts at the site of a collapsed building in Kathmandu.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Injured people receive treatment in Kathmandu. A CNN reporter said medics were focused on treating the most severely injured.
Hide Caption
34 of 42
Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rescuers remove debris at Basantapur Durbar Square while looking for survivors of the massive quake.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
The rubble of collapsed walls fills a street in Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, on April 25.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
An injured child receives treatment outside Medicare Hospital in Kathmandu on April 25. Residents, after a relentless series of aftershocks, have been remaining outdoors.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
A man carries his dog past earthquake damage in Kathmandu.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
An utility pole lies on top of a vehicle in Kathmandu.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People walk on a mangled road in Kathmandu.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rubble is seen in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on April 25. Electrical power was cut to the capital after the quake.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Injured people are treated outside a hospital in Kathmandu.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
An elderly woman is helped to her home after being treated for her injuries in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on Sunday, April 26. A magnitude-7.8 earthquake Saturday, centered less than 50 miles from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, left widespread destruction and death.
Hide Caption
1 of 42
Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rescue workers remove debris on April 26 as they search for victims in Bhaktapur.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Family members break down on April 26 during the cremation of a loved one killed in the earthquake in Bhaktapur.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Smoke from funeral pyres fills the air at the Pashupatinath temple on the banks of Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 26.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Members of India's National Disaster Response Force look for survivors in Kathmandu on April 26.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rescue workers remove debris as they search for victims of the earthquake in Bhaktapur on April 26.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People look at the debris of one of the oldest temples in Kathmandu on April 26, after it suffered damage from the earthquake.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People sleep on a street in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Saturday, April 25. A seemingly endless series of aftershocks continued to roil the area, further traumatizing survivors.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Civilian rescuers carry a person on a stretcher in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
People try to free a man from the rubble in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25. Cheers rose from the piles when people were found alive -- but mostly bodies turned up.
Hide Caption
10 of 42
Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Pedestrians walk past collapsed buildings in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Azim Afif, of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia climbing team, provided this photo of their Mount Everest base camp after it was ravaged by an avalanche triggered by the earthquake on April 25. All of Afif's five-member team survived.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rescuers clear rubble in Kathmandu's Basantapur Durbar Square on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
A temple on Hanumandhoka Durbar Square lies in ruins after an earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Dharahara, a tower dating back to 1832 that rose more than 60 meters (200 feet) and provided breathtaking views of Kathmandu and the surrounding Himalayas, collapsed in the earthquake on April 25.
Hide Caption
15 of 42
Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Buildings shaken off their foundations in Kathmandu. The quake, which struck at 11:56 a.m. local time (2:11 a.m. ET) on Saturday, April 25, occurred at a depth of 9.3 miles -- considered shallow -- in the Kathmandu Valley, which has suffered major earthquakes in the past, most recently a magnitude-8.1 event in 1934.
Hide Caption
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
The hand of a statue is seen under debris in Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
A Nepalese man and woman hold each other in Kathmandu's Basantapur Durbar Square on April 25.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
A victim of Nepal's earthquake lies in the debris of Dharahara after it collapsed on April 25 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
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Powerful earthquake hits Nepal 42 photos
Rescuers look for victims under a collapsed building in Kathmandu on April 25.
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