The death toll following a powerful earthquake in Tibet on Tuesday, has risen to at least 53, according to Chinese state media.
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake was centred in Tibet at a depth of about 10 kilometres, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The Chinese state news agency Xinhua, cited local authorities, stating that at least, 53 people had been killed and 62 injured.
Many houses near the epicentre had collapsed, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The quake occurred in Dingri County, on the north side of Mount Everest and about 400 kilometres west of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
According to Xinhua, the tremors were clearly felt in the surrounding area.
The Chinese military had sent a drone to survey the epicentre, the agency reported.
Rescue operations are underway and residents were being evacuated to avoid possible effects of aftershocks, the agency added.
The Chinese earthquake monitoring centre CENC recorded the magnitude as 6.8.
Tibet, as well as the entire southwestern part of China, Nepal and northern India, is frequently hit by earthquakes caused by the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates colliding.
A devastating quake in China’s Sichuan province in 2008 claimed around 70,000 lives.
In 2015, a strong quake struck the Kathmandu region of Nepal, killing around 9,000 people and injuring thousands.
dpa/NAN
