President Jacob Zuma has sent a message of condolences to Nepal after a massive earthquake left 19-hundred people dead and more than 15-thousand
Department of international relations and co-operation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said that by late on Saturday, all the South Africans in Nepal had been accounted for.
Chairperson of the national committee of the Mountain Club of SA, Brian Lambourne, said he had not yet received any news of South Africans adversely affected and to his knowledge there were no large expeditions from the country heading up Mount Everest.
The 7.9 magnitude earthquake ripped through large parts of Nepal, setting off an avalanche at Mount Everest and its base camp, where climbers and support teams set up camp.
As many as 17 climbers were killed and 61 injured and an unknown number of climbers and guides were left unaccounted for on other routes.
Authorities said the death is expected to climb in the aftermath of the 7.9 magnitude quake which toppled houses and buildings, inlcuding an historic 19th century tower in the capital, Katmandu..
Damage is projected to run into billions of dollars.
The quake, which had its epicentre 80kms east of Nepal's second largest city, Pokhara, struck at noon local time, triggering avalanches in the mountaineous areas.
News 24, quoting Reuters, said around "300 000 foreign tourists were estimated to be in Nepal for the spring trekking and climbing season, and officials were overwhelmed by calls from concerned friends and relatives."
"We are facing a tremendous crisis here and it is hard to even assess what the death toll and the extent of damage could be," it quoted tourism official, Mohan Krishna Sapkota, as saying.
"The revered Dharara Tower collapsed in Kathmandu when the quake erupted shortly before noon local time. A policeman said that up to 200 people had been trapped in the structure," the report said.
"Built in 1832 for the queen of Nepal, the tower was a 60m-high landmark that had been open to visitors for the last 10 years and had a viewing balcony."
The BBC is reporting on its website that "tremors were felt across the region, with further loss of life in India, Bangladesh, Tibet and on Mount Everest. The government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas."
Nepali Information Minister Minendra Rijal said there had been "massive damage" at the epicentre. On Sunday morning SA time, a sizeable 6.7 magnitude aftershock again shook the area.
