Amateur mobile phone and CCTV footage has captured the moment a powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, killing thousands of people.

Footage taken by both hikers on Mount Everest and pedestrians in the capital of Kathmandu show the destruction the quake caused and how unprepared people were.

• Nepal’s shocking disaster: how it unfolded
• In pictures: earthquake devastates Nepal

Terrifying footage shows a wall of snow coming toward the Mount Everest base camp as hikers scrambled for cover.

At least 19 hikers are confirmed dead while hundreds of others are missing.

Other footage shows high-rise buildings collapsing as people run for their lives, as well as frightened animals escaping as the quake struck on Sunday.

Warning: Contains coarse language