KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 25 (UPI) -- The United States is sending a disaster-response team and an initial $1 million in aid after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake devastated Nepal on Saturday, killing some 1,500 people.
The quake, centered less than 50 miles from the capital, Kathmandu, is the most powerful to strike the region in decades, leveling centuries-old structures, toppling buildings and cutting open roads. Authorities expect the death toll to rise.