'There are no houses left': Nepal struggles to deal with aftermath of earthquake

The city is calm under an overcast sky. But there is an eerie feeling. There are hardly any vehicles on the streets and only a few grocery shops are open. People huddle on corners recalling "the big one" as they look at newspapers splashed with images of death, despair and destruction.

Many of them liken the scale of the damage to the city's infamous 1934 earthquake, recalling their grandparents' stories and old photographs.

Suddenly, the calm is broken as an aftershock - one of more than 60 - rattles the capital.

The previous night, hours after the earthquake hit, the streets were packed with residents, many camping outside their houses or in any open space they could find, in case another struck. In fact, most people spent the night under the open sky, shocked and traumatised, and praying it would not rain.

Hundreds formed queues to get inside Tundikhel and Khula Manch, two of the main open spaces in central Kathmandu, some bringing food and groceries as neighbours set up communal kitchens.

Together they listened to grim updates from the state-run Radio Nepal, as callers described the ruins. Some villages, they said, were completely flattened.

Sujan Giri, who works at a restaurant in Kathmandu, managed to get hold of his parents hours after the earthquake.