MORE than 1000 people died yesterday in the deadliest earthquake to hit Nepal for more than 80 years.

The death toll from the quake, which recorded 7.9 on the Richter scale, stood at 1,130 in the Himalayan nation last night, with more than half of deaths in the Kathmandu Valley. But there are fears numbers could rise further, with reports of devastation in outlying, isolated mountainous areas.

The quake also triggered a huge avalanche on Everest, where eyewitnesses reported there had been "many, many" people on the mountain.

A further 36 fatalities were reported in northern India, 12 in Chinese Tibet and four in Bangladesh as a result of the quake which struck just before midday, centred 50 miles east of the second city, Pokhara.

As fears grew of a humanitarian disaster in the impoverished Himalayan nation of 28 million, an overwhelmed government appealed for foreign help. A state of emergency has been declared in the affected areas, and help has been offered by countries around the world.

India was first to respond by sending in military aircraft with medical equipment and relief teams, while the US said it is sending a disaster response team to Nepal.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said the UK will do all it can to help in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake, while British charities are preparing to help to deal with the disaster.

The quake toppled buildings, opened gaping cracks in roads and sent terrified people running into the open as aftershocks rattled their damaged homes.

Indian tourist Devyani Pant was in a coffee shop in Kathmandu - where at least 300 people died - when "suddenly the tables started trembling and paintings on the wall fell on the ground".

"I screamed and rushed outside," she said. "We are now collecting bodies and rushing the injured to the ambulance. We are being forced to pile several bodies one above the other to fit them in."

An Indian army mountaineering team found 18 bodies on Mount Everest, where an avalanche unleashed by the earthquake swept through the base camp.

Romanian climber Alex Gavan tweeted that there had been a "huge avalanche" and "many, many" people were up on the mountain. "Running for life from my tent," Gavan said. "Everest base camp huge earthquake then huge avalanche."

Tourism official Mohan Krishna Sapkota, said it was "hard to even assess what the death toll and the extent of damage" around Everest could be.

"The trekkers are scattered all around the base camp and some had even trekked further up," he added. "It is almost impossible to get in touch with anyone."

Among the Kathmandu landmarks destroyed by the quake was the 60-metre-high Dharahara Tower, built in 1832 for the queen of Nepal, with a viewing balcony that had been open to visitors for the last 10 years.

A jagged stump just 10 metres high was all that was left of the lighthouse-like structure. As bodies were pulled out of the ruins, a policeman said up to 200 people had been trapped inside.

Around 300,000 foreign tourists were estimated to be in various parts of Nepal for the spring trekking and climbing season in the Himalayas, and officials were overwhelmed by calls from concerned friends and relatives.

In the UK, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with all those affected. Our Embassy staff stand ready to help any British nationals who may need assistance."

The worst recorded earthquake in Nepal to date happened in 1934, killing more than 8,500 people.