On 25 April 2015, at 11:56 NST, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.8 (), hit Kathmandu and its surrounding region, leading to the collapse of the tower. The earthquake's epicenter was approximately east-southeast of Lamjung, Nepal. The structure collapsed and only its base survived. According to the people on the scene when the earthquake hit, the region was covered with clouds of smoke and the rubbles heard shouting. The Nepalese Army barricaded the entrance and launched the rescue mission. Some people were able to collect the remains of Dharahara bricks, probably to remember them. Those bricks were inscribed with the name of Juddha Shumsher, indicating that the tower was rebuilt during his tenure. More than 9,000 people were killed and 2.8 million were displaced. The image of Dharahara that fell during the earthquake in the 19th century, quickly became an iconic representation for many Nepalese not only of the catastrophe but also of their national determination to recuperate and rebuild it. When local people living far away from the epicenter heard that the "Dharahara" had fallen that they understood the scale of the calamity: they then realised that ‘the disaster was not small’. It was a total shock for Nepal and entire Nepalese people, regardless of their ethnicity, caste or gender, because "Dharahara" was the pre-eminent symbol of their capital city's, and therefore their nation's identity.