A powerful earthquake shakes a remote area in Tibet and parts of Nepal, killing more than 100 people.

Hong Kong CNN –

More than 100 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck a remote area of ​​Tibet on Tuesday morning, with tremors felt across the Himalayas in Nepal, neighboring Bhutan and parts of northern India.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the 7.1-magnitude earthquake occurred at 9:05 a.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and was followed by several aftershocks.

The energy unleashed by the tectonic movement toppled homes in remote Himalayan villages, shook a nearby holy city in Tibet, and disturbed visitors to Mount Everest Base Camp.

The epicenter of the earthquake, located in Tengri County on the Tibetan Plateau, was close to the border with Nepal, about 50 miles north of the highest mountain in the world.

At least 106 people were killed and 174 others injured in the quake, according to the official China News Service. She added that nearly 3,000 homes were damaged.

The tremors were felt as far as Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. “It was very powerful. People came running from their homes. The wires from the poles could be seen shaking,” said Bishal Nath Upreti of the Nepal Disaster Management Centre, an NGO in Kathmandu.

The area near the epicenter is sparsely populated, but small villages are located in isolated valleys in the Himalayas, which are often difficult to access. About 6,900 people are estimated to live in 27 villages within a 20-kilometre (12-mile) radius of the epicenter, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Videos on Chinese social media, identified by CNN, showed destroyed roofs, storefronts and piles of debris on the streets of Lattice County, about 86 kilometers (53 miles) from the epicenter. The footage showed that some cars and motorcycles parked along the road were also damaged.

The closest major city to the epicenter is the holy city of Shigatse, which is located about 180 kilometers (111 miles) away. The city is home to about 800,000 people and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, second only to the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama, who lives in self-imposed exile in India, said he was “deeply saddened” when he learned of the earthquake. He added: “I pray for those who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery for all those injured.”

Surveillance camera footage at a department store in Shigatse, published by Xinhua, captured the moment the quake struck, with customers running outside as merchandise fell from trembling shelves. There were no immediate reports of widespread damage in the city.

Bo Chi, who lives in Penang province — located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the quake's epicenter in Tengri — said she was lying in bed on Tuesday morning when she felt the room shake and saw the ceiling light begin to sway.

“I was really scared, so I quickly put some clothes on and ran outside, then called my family to tell them,” Bo, 24, told CNN. She said it was the first time she had experienced an earthquake.

Everest and Nepal shook

Anna Guo, an 18-year-old college student traveling with a tour group, was about to leave Shigatse and head southwest to see Mount Everest when the ground began shaking violently on Tuesday morning.

“I was waiting in line and we heard something, and then we realized it was an earthquake. It got stronger and stronger and the windows started shaking,” she told CNN.

She added: “We have never felt an earthquake this strong before.”

On Tuesday, local authorities closed a base camp for climbing Mount Everest, as well as the surrounding scenic area. Winter is not the popular season for climbing the world's highest mountain, but some Chinese tourists still visit the scenic area to enjoy the stunning Himalayan views.

Ba Luo, a worker at the base camp, said he felt the tremors of the earthquake, but no damage was caused to the buildings. He added that about 500 tourists visited the camp on Monday and about 30 visitors were at the base when the earthquake occurred, adding that all the tourists had been evacuated.

In Nepal's Solukhumbu district, across the border from the Chinese province at the quake's epicenter, tremors brought back memories of the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck near Kathmandu in 2015, killing about 9,000 people and injuring thousands.

“The tremors were very strong, and everyone is definitely panicking,” local district official Rupesh Vishwakarmi told CNN. At a yak farm near Mount Everest base camp in Nepal, “everything was shaking” and staff were “very scared,” he said.

Nepalese police said that 13 injured people were rescued across the country. The country's Interior Ministry said that ten homes were damaged and one house was completely destroyed.

In Tibet, rescue teams, including the Chinese air force, joined the search efforts, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Later, she said that the first batch of more than 200 Chinese military soldiers had been deployed in Tengri County, with another 1,500 on standby. Three villages lost phone signals by noon, according to the radio.

To search for survivors, immigration police officers were seen digging through the rubble with their bare hands, according to videos on social media posted by China's National Immigration Administration. The footage showed a village full of collapsed houses and crumbling walls, with some residents sitting on blankets on the side of the road, sipping hot water to keep warm.

A total of 49 aftershocks were recorded as of Monday afternoon, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

In a statement following the quake, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called on officials to make all-out efforts to search and rescue survivors, minimize losses, properly shelter affected residents, and ensure their safety and warmth in the cold of winter.

Tibet is one of the most restricted and politically sensitive regions in China, and access for foreign visitors remains tightly controlled. Beijing has controlled the region since the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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