UPDATE: Death toll from China’s quake reaches 126

At least 126 people are dead and 188 injured after a strong earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet in China on Tuesday morning.

A 7.1-magnitude temblor struck at a depth of about six miles just after 9 a.m. local time in Tibet’s Dingri County, a mountainous region located near the border with Nepal and Mount Everest, the US Geological Survey said.

The China Earthquake Networks Center, which measured the initial earthquake as a magnitude 6.8, recorded several aftershocks with the most recent at 2:08 p.m. local time.

More than 1 000 buildings were damaged or destroyed and tremors were felt as far away as Bhutan and northern India.

Slightly less than 7 000 people are estimated to live in 27 villages within a 12-mile radius of the epicenter, according to China’s state-run media outlet Xinhua.

A 34-year-old supermarket owner said locally “the houses are made from dirt so when the earthquake came,” Sangji Dangzhi told the BBC, “lots of houses collapsed.”

Initial reports indicated 53 people were confirmed dead and 62 others were injured with buildings reportedly collapsed, according to Xinhua, and rescuers now working in debris in freezing temperatures roughly 17 degrees Farenheit.

China’s meteorological officials have warned local residents to find shelter from the cold. Meanwhile, the Chinese air force launched drones and a series of rescue efforts to the region.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in a statement, called for every effort to be spent on search-and-rescue missions to minimise casualties. He also ordered for earthquake monitoring and early warning systems to be strengthened.

According to the USGS, the region has a history of strong earthquakes, with ten temblors of magnitude six or greater striking within 155 miles of Tuesday’s strike in the past century.

Dingri County is home to Tibet’s second-largest city of Shigatse, with a population of nearly 800 000 people. It is also traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest-ranking spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism.

“I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, local officials shut down a Mount Everest base camp and surrounding scenic areas, CNN reported.

A series of earthquakes that hit the region in 2015 killed nearly 8 670 people while causing widespread damage, the USGS added. (UPI)

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