Tibet earthquake: Rescuers search for survivors after powerful earthquake kills 126 people | China

Rescuers in China's Tibet region continued to search for survivors in freezing conditions on Wednesday after a devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the remote region, killing at least 126 people.

The powerful earthquake struck the foothills of the Himalayas on Tuesday, about 80 kilometers north of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Tremors also shook buildings in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and India.

At least 126 people were confirmed dead and 188 others injured, while initial surveys showed that more than 3,600 homes had been destroyed in the Shigatze region of Tibet, according to Chinese state media.

Pictures and videos posted online show many homes and buildings reduced to rubble.

“The houses here are made of dirt, and when the earthquake happened… a lot of houses collapsed,” said 34-year-old Sanji Dangzi, whose shop in Tingri suffered severe damage.

Epicenter diagram

Authorities said more than 400 people have been rescued so far, but an unknown number are still missing. Rescue efforts were complicated by more than 500 aftershocks recorded since Tuesday and extreme cold. Temperatures on the high plateau dropped to as low as -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, adding to the misery of those left homeless and prompting authorities to urgently scramble for blankets and temporary shelters.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in Tengri County, which is inhabited by about 62,000 people out of Shigatse's population of 800,000. It is much less developed than urban centers such as Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

No deaths have been reported in Nepal or elsewhere.

Thousands of homes were destroyed in the Shigatse region. Photography: Tibet Fire and Rescue Authority – Reuters

The Chinese government raised the national emergency response level to the highest of the four levels on Tuesday. Military personnel, 3,400 rescuers and hundreds of medical workers were sent to help the injured, state media reported. Video footage showed rescue workers wading through the rubble strewn in the rubble, while some provided local residents with thick blankets to keep warm.

State media said tents, food rations, generators and other supplies arrived at the site late Tuesday, and all parts of the road damaged by the quake had been reopened.

“The buildings cracked,” tourist Meng Lingkang said in the town of Lats, 65 kilometers from the epicenter.

“Some old houses collapsed, and a large part of the brick buildings was cracked, with big cracks,” the 23-year-old told AFP.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for “comprehensive search and rescue efforts, minimizing losses to the greatest extent possible, properly relocating affected residents, and ensuring their safety and warmth during the winter,” state radio said.

Beijing, which administers part of Tibet as an autonomous region within China, rejects criticism from human rights groups and exiles who accuse it of violating the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.

With Reuters and Agence France-Presse

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