Thousands of homeless villagers in the Himalayas spent a miserable night outdoors in heavy rains after a powerful earthquake flattened houses and rescuers struggled to reach victims in the mountains of India, Nepal and Tibet.

Rescue workers used shovels and their bare hands to pull bodies from the debris of collapsed buildings today, as the death toll from an earthquake which hit north-east India, Nepal and Tibet rose to 50.

A strong earthquake shook north-eastern India and Nepal tonight, killing at least 16 people, damaging buildings and sending MPs in Nepal’s capital running into the streets.