A devastating earthquake in China’s remote Tibet region killed at least 126 people and damaged thousands of buildings on Tuesday, state media reported, with tremors also felt in neighbouring Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India.
Videos published by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed houses destroyed with walls torn apart.
Rescue workers waded through rubble strewn across the ruins in the aftermath, footage showed, while some gave locals thick blankets to keep warm in subzero temperatures.
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The quake struck rural, high-altitude Tingri county, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Mount Everest near China’s border with Nepal, at around 9:00 am (0100 GMT) on Tuesday.
Surveillance images published by CCTV showed people running through a store’s aisles as shelves shook violently, sending objects like toys tumbling to the ground.
At least 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured as of 7:00 pm, CCTV said.
Twenty-eight people in critical condition were transferred to hospital for treatment and 3,609 houses had collapsed, it added.
The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) measured the quake’s magnitude as 6.8, while the US Geological Survey reported it as 7.1.
The area most affected is surrounded by mountainous terrain on the Chinese side of Mount Everest.
Tingri, the epicentre, is home to around 62,000 people and is much less developed than urban centres like Tibet’s capital Lhasa.
Many of the fallen houses appeared to be constructed using traditional materials such as stone, mud bricks and wooden beams.
CCTV, citing the emergency command centre, reported that the earthquake emergency response status in the region was raised to the highest level.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for “all-out search and rescue efforts, minimising casualties to the greatest extent possible, properly resettling affected residents, and ensuring their safety and warmth through the winter”, the state broadcaster said.
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