Kathmandu: Nepal's centuries of architectural heritage having historic importance in the Kathmandu Valley were reduced to rubble in just 80 seconds by a powerful earthquake last week that left over 6,000 people dead.

"A total of 57 monuments of the Kathmandu Valley have been destroyed," said Bhesh Dahal, Director General of the Department of Archaeology. "Our team is currently on the field to make the deeper inventories," he was quoted as saying by the Nepali Times.