Nepalese Earthquake Death Toll Tops 4,500 - Police

Death toll from Saturday's earthquake in Nepal increased to more than 4,500 people, according to the local police.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — The death toll from Saturday's devastating earthquake in Nepal has increased to more than 4,500 people, local police said Tuesday.

"At 3:00 p.m. [9:15 GMT] the total number of those killed is 4,555 and 8,299 injured," the Nepalese police said in a statement.

The 7.8 magnitude quake occurred Saturday morning around 51 miles northwest of Kathmandu, causing extreme massive damage in the region. The disaster triggered avalanches on Mount Everest, as well as tremors and resulted in casualties in neighbouring areas of India, Bangladesh and China. More than 6.6 million people reside in areas affected by the earthquake, according to the United Nations.

Tourists from the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and India are among the victims of the disaster. Dozens of people in neighboring India, Bangladesh and China were reportedly killed.

International search and rescue missions from Russia and around the world are underway in Nepal to help affected locals and foreign nationals. The World Food Program is providing food and trucks and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has sent tents and health care supplies.