Heartbreaking images of historic sites in Nepal reduced to rubble

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A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Nepal's capital city has been completely destroyed following a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit the country early Saturday morning, killing more than 1,900 people and leveling buildings throughout the country.

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The massive earthquake reduced the historic Durbar Square to rubble, leaving what was once "Nepal's Pride" and a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site in utter ruin.

A traveler in Katmandu posted this image of Durbar Square to his Instagram account following the quake:

Emergency workers are still scrambling to rescue people trapped under the debris.

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Prakash Mathema/Getty

Nepalese rescue workers carry the body of a victim in Kathmandu's Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was severely damaged by an earthquake on April 25, 2015.

ABC News Australia reporter Siobhan Heanue captured a particularly dramatic scene at Durbar Square hours after the quake hit:

A historic tower built in the 19th century in Kathmandu also collapsed, trapping at least 50 people, Nepal media reported. The Dharara Tower, built in 1832, had been open to visitors for the last 10 years and had a viewing balcony on its eighth floor.

DHARAHARA TOWER BEFORE AFTER

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A before and after photo of Dharahara Tower in Nepal.

The Nepalese city of Kathmandu, the epicenter of the quake, is home to ancient, wooden Hindu temples. Photographs posted online showed buildings left in rubble, large cracks along roads, and residents sitting in the street holding babies.

nepal earthquake

Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

People carry the body of a victim from a damaged house after an earthquake hit, in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 25, 2015.

Vasanthapura Square, a Kathmandu neighborhood with temples that were built in the 11th century, suffered severe damage as well.

earthquake nepal

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Rescue workers search for bodies as a stretcher is kept ready after an earthquake hit, in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 25, 2015.

"Oh my God, the entire Vasanthapura is in rubble," Kashish Das Shrestha, a photographer, told The New York Times.

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Nepal earthquake

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A young man speaks on the phone in front of a collapsed temple in the city center following an earthquake on April 25, 2015 in Kathmandu.

The US will send a disaster response team and an initial $1 million in aid to Nepal, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a tweet.

nepal earthquake

Prakash Mathema/Getty

A collapsed temple is seen in Kathmandu after an earthquake on April 25, 2015.