Aerial Footage Of Nepal Earthquake Epicenter Reveals Landslides And Widespread Devastation

New aerial video from near the epicenter of Saturday's earthquake in Nepal reveals just how devastating the tremor and its aftershocks were. Massive landslides and destroyed homes can be seen in the Associated Press footage above.

The 7.8-magnitude quake, which was centered around the country's Gorkha District, has claimed nearly 4,000 lives, and the death toll may continue to grow. Gorkha, one of the country's 75 districts, is home to more than 270,000 people.

"There are people who are not getting food and shelter. I've had reports of villages where 70 percent of the houses have been destroyed," Gorkha's top official, Udav Prashad Timalsina, told the AP. He said the confirmed death toll of 223 in his district was likely to rise.

Drone footage of damage in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu has also emerged, and is similarly shocking:

With many people missing or displaced by the quake, people around the world are scrambling to try and contact friends and loved ones in the region.

You can find out more about relief efforts here.