Powerful earthquake kills at least 126 in western China
Nearly 200 reported injured as tremors felt as far away as Kathmandu in Nepal
A strong earthquake shook a high-altitude region of western China and areas of Nepal on Tuesday, damaging hundreds of houses, littering streets with rubble and killing at least 126 people in the autonomous Chinese region of Tibet.
Many others were trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the remote region. Rescue workers climbed mounds of broken bricks, some using ladders in heavily damaged villages, as they searched for survivors.
Videos posted by China's Ministry of Emergency Management showed two people being carried on stretchers by workers treading over the debris from collapsed homes.
At least 188 people were injured in Tibet on the Chinese side of the border, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that about 1,000 houses were damaged, citing the Tibet earthquake relief headquarters.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 7.1 and was relatively shallow at a depth of about 10 kilometres. China recorded the magnitude as 6.8.
Over the past century, there have been 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 in the area where Tuesday's quake hit, the USGS said.
About 6,900 people live in three townships and 27 villages within 20 kilometres of the epicentre on the Chinese side, state media said. The average altitude in the area is about 4,200 metres.
Mount Everest area closed
The epicentre — about 75 kilometres northeast of Mount Everest — was in Tibet's Tingri county, where the India and Eurasia plates grind against each other and can cause earthquakes strong enough to change the heights of some of the world's tallest peaks in the Himalayan mountains.
About 150 aftershocks were recorded in the nine hours after the earthquake, and the Mount Everest scenic area on the Chinese side was closed.
The area, often crowded with climbers and hikers, was empty in the depths of winter. Many residents move to the south to avoid the harsh winter.
About 1,500 fire and rescue workers were deployed to search for people, the Ministry of Emergency Management said. Two hundred soldiers joined the search, CCTV said.
Chinese Leader Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to rescue people, minimize casualties and resettle those whose homes were damaged. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing was dispatched to the area to guide the work, which CCTV said involved more than 3,000 rescuers.
Tibet is part of China, but many Tibetans' loyalties lie with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader who has lived in exile in India since a failed anti-Chinese uprising in 1959. Western governments and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Chinese government of abuses in Tibet, where it has cracked down on dissent while investing heavily in economic development.
About 230 kilometres from the epicentre in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, the earthquake woke up residents and sent them running out of their homes into the streets.
