Deadly earthquake hits Tibet’s Shigatse: What we know so far

Rescue efforts are under way after the earthquake hits Tibet, with tremors felt as far as Nepal, India and Bhutan.

Earthquake hits Tibet’s Shigatse, tremors also felt in Nepal and India

A powerful earthquake has struck a remote region of Tibet, killing at least 95 people and wounding dozens, with tremors felt in Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India.

Videos aired by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed houses destroyed with the official Xinhua News Agency saying more than 1,000 houses were damaged. The epicentre of the quake was Shigatse, one of the holiest cities of Tibet.

Here is what we know so far:

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, while the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) recorded a magnitude of 6.8.

The quake, just after 9:05am local time (01:05 GMT), shook the region of western China at a depth of about 10km (6 miles).

The epicentre of the quake was the Shigatse high-altitude county of Dingri, located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest and home to about 62,000 people.

Tuesday’s quake was the most powerful recorded within a 200km (124-mile) radius in the last five years, the CENC added.

Shigatse is the seat of the Panchen Lama, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Dingri is currently experiencing temperatures of about minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The China Meteorological Administration forecast that the mercury will drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius by Tuesday evening.

The remote Shigatse is far from China’s main cities. This, combined with the extreme cold, has hindered rescue efforts, according to Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing.

At least