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More than 120 people were killed as a powerful earthquake rocked a remote region of Tibet and parts of Nepal.

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More than 120 people have been killed after a powerful earthquake was felt in a remote region of Tibet on Tuesday morning, with tremors being experienced across the Himalayas in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of northern India.

The 7.1-magnitude quake, which was recorded at 9:05 a.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), was followed by multiple aftershocks, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).Houses in remote Himalayan villages were toppled, a nearby Tibetan holy city was shaken, and visitors to a Mount Everest base camp were rattled by the energy unleashed by the tectonic movement.

Houses in remote Himalayan villages were toppled, a nearby Tibetan holy city was shaken, and visitors to a Mount Everest base camp were rattled by the energy unleashed by the tectonic movement.

According to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), at least 126 people have been killed and 188 others injured in the quake, with more than 3,600 houses damaged.

The epicenter, located in Tingri county high on the Tibetan plateau, was identified close to the border with Nepal, around 50 miles north of the world’s highest mountain.

The tremors were reported as far away as Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. “It was very strong. People came running out of their houses. You could see the wires from poles shaken loose,” said Bishal Nath Upreti from the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, a non-government organization in Kathmandu.

In Tibet, more than 400 people trapped by rubble have been freed through massive rescue efforts by emergency services and the Chinese military. Over 30,000 residents have been relocated as the search for survivors continues, authorities reported.

The region close to the epicenter is sparsely populated, but small villages are nestled in isolated and often hard-to-access Himalayan valleys. An estimated 6,900 people are believed to live in 27 villages within a 20km (12-mile) radius of the epicenter, according to Xinhua.

Footage on state media showed the wreckage of collapsed houses and crumpled walls strewn across villages at the foothills, with rescuers digging through rubble with bare hands to search for survivors.

Videos on Chinese social media, geolocated by CNN, showed damaged roofs, shop fronts, and debris piling on the streets of Lhatse county, some 86 km (53 miles) from the epicenter. The footage also showed some cars and motorcycles parked along the road being damaged.

The nearest major city to the epicenter, the holy city of Shigatse, located about 180 km (111 miles) away, 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, living in self-imposed exile in India, expressed being “deeply saddened” to learn of the earthquake. Prayers were offered for those who lost their lives, and wishes for a swift recovery were extended to all who were injured.

Surveillance camera footage from a supermarket in Shigatse, shared by Xinhua, captured the moment the quake struck, with customers running outside as goods fell from quivering shelves. There were no immediate reports of widespread damage in the city.

Pu Chi, a resident of Bainang county – about 200 km (125 miles) from the epicenter in Tingri – described feeling the room shake and seeing the ceiling light sway while lying in bed Tuesday morning. In fear, she quickly dressed, ran outside, and contacted her family.

A warning was issued by China’s meteorological administration for local residents to take shelter from the cold and wind, as temperatures were expected to drop below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) in the coming days. Thousands of tents, beds, and coats were dispatched to the affected area by Shigatse’s regional government.

In a statement following the quake, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for officials to make all-out efforts to search for and rescue survivors, minimize casualties, properly accommodate affected residents, and ensure their safety and warmth during the winter cold.

More than 1,600 soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army and paramilitary police were deployed to join the rescue, along with military drones, helicopters, and transport aircraft.

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