Powerful quake in Tibet kills 120

International

AT LEAST 120 people died and at least 180 were injured after a powerful earthquake rocked a remote region in Tibet on Tuesday.

Tremors were also felt across Himalayas in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and parts of the north of India.

The epicenter of the 7.1 magnitude quake was located at Tingri country, 80 kilometers north of Mount Everest which damaged over 3, 600 houses of homes and other structures.

The tectonic movement was recorded with a depth of 10 kilometers that struck at 9:05 a.m local time according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

“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, per a CNN report.

In the same report, hundreds of people were trapped in the rubble, and over 30,000 residents were evacuated by rescuers who continued to search for survivors.

The holy city of Shigatse, a region of Tibet with 800,000 population, is among the places with major destruction since it is the nearest city to the epicenter.

The temperature that dropped to minus six degrees contributed to the agony of those victims of the quake that left them homeless.

Chinese-run- Xinhua News also reported that 1,500 firefighters and rescue workers were deployed to the affected areas.

Everest region where Mount Everest is nestled in Nepal was also closed to tourists after the quake.

Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader who exiled himself to India, said he is deeply saddened by what happened to Tibet.

"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," he said.

The powerful quake was followed by at least 150 aftershocks with energy unleashed up to 4.4 magnitude.(LAO)