Kathmandu , Nepal ( CNN ) The clamor and chaos of the previous day has dissipated by the time we arrive at Kathmandu 's only airport . The mad rush of 24 hours previously , in those first confusing , cacophonous hours following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake near the Nepali capital , had died down . Now , families sit , camped out , silent and patiently waiting , but for now abandoned . At the airport , at passport control , we meet a Nepalese man , who is unable to contact his family . They live in a village 20 km from the epicenter . He also has two cousins on Everest , he says . He has no way to reach any of them . Follow the latest coverage of Nepal earthquake . Stepping out of the terminal building , the devastation is apparent . It is an overwhelming introduction to this city that , less than 48 hours ago , was hit by the worst earthquake this country has experienced in 80 years . The death toll has skipped past 3,000 and climbs , inexorably . Taking into account the fact that many rural areas , just as badly affected but isolated and vulnerable , have yet to be evaluated , the human cost is staggering . Across town the bus station is a hive of activity as scores try urgently to leave the city , to make it out to the outlying areas so badly affected by this quake . Communications are down and so many here are desperate to make it out to their stricken families , and discover their fate . The scene is repeated at every gas station ; snaking lines of Indian-made Tata cars , and motorcycles , waiting to fill up . People are clambering aboard buses , into cars , trying to get as far away from this devastation as possible . Remaining inside Kathmandu , neighbors stare forlornly at their former homes , now collapsed piles of rubble . We visit a Montessori school , mercifully empty as the children had the Saturday off . A seven-story building behind it , however , was home to a small church , and housed a congregation of between 40 and 50 when tragedy occurred . The pastor 's son Nakul Tamang clambers up a ladder , looking for an entrance into the ruined facade , looking to retrieve his father , not knowing if he will find him alive or dead . Rescue teams stop him before he reaches the top . The building is not secure , but Tamang does n't care . `` It 's sad , it 's hard , '' he says . Six bodies had already been pulled from the concrete and steel wreckage . A nearby five-story structure has collapsed in on itself . It was pink , with wrought balconies . Now it is pancaked , reduced to a third of its height and a mess of rubble and reinforced steel . One woman has been pulled out of the wreckage , and rescuers continue to work in a precarious hollow scooped out from the fallen bricks . Officials tell the onlookers that there is a chance that survivors may have been protected in a corridor as the building came down around them . A day after the earthquake struck , they found a woman under the rubble . Unhurt ; in shock , but alive . It is this hope that keeps Narayan Gurung going : the belief that his wife and 7-year-old are still alive . `` I raced here after the earthquake . I have n't slept for days , '' he says . Workers dig painstakingly , slowly removing piles of stone and debris . They spot someone 's hair , but ca n't yet reach the body or tell if it 's male or female . Wherever there is rubble in this city , there is a police or military presence . They are not necessarily commanding the digs but they keep onlookers from getting too close , or directing traffic as best they can . For their part , the onlookers look shell shocked -- there is little outpouring of grief , no sobbing or wailing , but rather a solemn , dazed , collective sense of disbelief . Tundikhel Park was , just two days ago , a vast , open green oasis in the city , but is now a mess of tents . Some have made their own , the army is setting up others . Metal bleacher-style seating has been set up , with dozens of people sitting , waiting , makeshift blue tarp tents pitched underneath . People bring in fresh fruit , and there are water sellers -- although clean bottled water is becoming hard to to find . People queue endlessly for food and water . There is a mobile government field hospital here , and those treated wait listlessly outside , a collection of crushed hands , broken legs , strapped ankles . One little boy was hit by a falling brick . `` I felt something like a fire , and I ran , and then something hurt me a lot . '' he says . `` I am still scared . '' And so is everybody else : those who survived clinging to those they love . Arwa Damon and Gul Tuysuz reported from Nepal , while Euan McKirdy wrote from Hong Kong .
Tremors subside finally in Nepal , but after-effects of Saturday 's staggering tragedy will be felt for years . Arwa Damon and Gul Tuysuz take tour of devastated city as locals struggle to cope . Workers dig painstakingly , slowly removing piles of stone and debris .