These shocking photographs reveal the terrible toll the Nepal earthquake has had on some of the country 's most beautiful and historic landmarks . The monuments of Kathmandu , the capital of Nepal , are recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site because of their unique architecture . But several of the most recognisable buildings in the city , including towers and temples , now lie in rubble after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the country yesterday morning . Scroll down for videos . Destruction : The Dharahara Tower , which was first built in 1832 , has been almost completely obliterated by Nepal 's earthquake . Historic : The now-destroyed tower was a UNESCO World Heritage Site until its destruction this weekend . Before : The Kathmandu Durbar Square , at the heart of Nepal 's capital , is full of temples and historic houses with their distinctive roofs . After : The square is now piled with rubble after tall temples were brought down by the force of the earthquake . More than 2,500 people died in the quake as buildings collapsed raining down debris on the streets below , while enormous avalanches on Mount Everest left climbers dead . One of the most prominent landmarks to be destroyed by the earthquake was the Dharahara Tower , also known at the Bhimsen Tower , which has almost totally collapsed after more than 180 years of standing in Kathmandu . The 200ft tower was built in 1832 by prime minister Bhimsen Thapa as a gift to the queen , who was also his niece . It had to be rebuilt after a previous earthquake in 1934 , but the latest disaster has left the tower as nothing more than a stump , killing scores of people who were trapped inside at the time . Destination : Another view of the Kathmandu Durbar Square shows how it was a thriving hub for the city . Reconstruction : Policemen were sent in to the square after it was badly affected by the quake . Venerable : The Durbar High School in the square is a neo-classical building which was shabby but grand before the earthquake . Debris : The school is now surrounded by bricks shaken from the building in the quake . Heritage : The Bhaktapur Durbar Square , pictured before the quake , is another one of the three main public spaces in the Kathmandu area . Piles : The square in Bhaktapur has rubble heaped up after its ancient temples were damaged . Kathmandu 's three 'Durbar Squares ' , the courtyards outside the city 's old royal palaces , were devastated by the earthquake , with historic temples razed to the ground by the shocks . In the largest , known as the Kathmandu Durbar Square , rubble was piled up today after a large stepped temple was obliterated in the quake . Images of the Durbar Squares in Patan and Bhaktapur , on the outskirts of Kathmandu , were also devastated by the shocks . The streets of Bhaktapur were impassable because of the rubble which lay several feet deep , with fragments of religious sculptures among the stonework on the ground . In Patan , a temple had its tower broken in half , while the square was strewn with bricks . Centre : The Patan Durbar Square , pictured before the disaster , is the third major hub of the historic royal family which has been devastated . Shock : Religious sculptures were lying on the ground in Patan after the temples they were once part of collapsed . Decapitated : A statue of the Hindu deity Garud was knocked off its pedestal at Patan Durbar Square . Crooked : The stupa of a temple was almost completely ripped off by the force of the quake . Holy : The Syambhunaath Stupa , known as the monkey temple , is pictured left before and right after the quake . Witness : A monk surveys the aftermath of the quake , which left the main building untouched . The Syambhunaath Stupa , known as the 'monkey temple ' which stands on a hill above the capital , also suffered severe damage . While the complex 's main golden tower was thankfully untouched , many other temple buildings were totally destroyed . The Buddhist site dates back 1,500 years , and is considered one of the holiest places in the world for residents of neighbouring Tibet . The 7.8 magnitude quake struck just before midday yesterday , sending tremors through the Kathmandu Valley and the nearby city of Pokhara . Busy : The packed streets of Kathmandu pictured as they were before the disaster . Damage : A huge crack opened in the middle of the highway after the earthquake . The majority of fatalities were reported in Nepal , with deaths also being confirmed in India , Tibet , Bangladesh and the Nepal-China border . About an hour after the initial quake , a magnitude 6.6 aftershock hit and smaller aftershocks could be felt through the region for hours . Rescuers are still battling to save the lives of those trapped in the rubble , while climbers on Everest are waiting to be rescued by helicopter .
The Dharahara Tower in Kathmandu was brought down by the force of yesterday 's 7.8 magnitude earthquake . Durbar Square in the centre of the Nepalese capital is filled with rubble after historic temple collapse . Score: 6