Death toll from earthquake in Chinese Occupied Tibet rises to 126

The death toll from the earthquake in Tibet increased to 126 people, with 188 others injured, as per report.

Earlier it was estimated that at least 95 people were killed and 130 injured. More than 400 people have been rescued, since the quake struck on Tuesday, some 50 miles from the base of Mount Everest, destroying thousands of homes.

The earthquake ruined many residential buildings and much infrastructure. Some people were evacuated from the disaster area. Local Tibetans are making every possible effort to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

More than 400 Chinese Occupation troops are also engaged in a search and rescue effort.

Earlier, the US Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 7.1 earthquake had struck Tibet on the border with Nepal. Its epicentre was 10 kilometres deep and 163 kilometres southwest of the city of Shigatse, with a population of around 80,000.

There were more than 40 aftershocks in the first few hours following the quake.China says that while another earthquake of around magnitude 5 might still occur, “the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low”.

Sitting at the foot of Mount Everest, which separates Nepal and China, Tingri county is a popular base for climbers preparing to ascend the world’s tallest peak.

Everest sightseeing tours in the area have been cancelled, a tourism staff member told local media, adding that the area had been closed. There were three visitors who had all been moved to an outdoor area for safety, they said.

Shigatse region, home to 800,000 people, is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Tibetan Gedhun Choekyi Niyima who was identified as the reincarnated Panchen Lama was disappeared by China in 1995 when he was six years old. China then chose its own Panchen Lama.

“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 current Dalai Lama said in a statement from Dharamsala, the seat of Tibetan Govt in Exile.

While strong tremors were felt in Nepal, no major damage or casualties were reported, an official from the National Emergency Operations Centre told BBC Newsday – only “minor damages and cracks on houses”.

The tremors on Tuesday morning, which sent many Kathmandu residents running out of their houses, brought back memories of the deadly 2015 quake. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and injuring more than 20,000.”

In 2015, when the earthquake hit, I could not even move,” Manju Neupane, a shop owner in Kathmandu, told BBC Nepali. “Today the situation was not scary like that. But, I am scared that another major earthquake may hit us and we will be trapped between tall buildings.

More than 14,000 Chinese rescue workers have arrived in Tibet to continue the search for survivors after a strong earthquake killed at least 126 people in this remote part of Tibet.

Rescue work is being hampered by winter temperatures that dropped to -16C overnight.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line, but Tuesday’s was one of Tibets’s deadliest in recent years.

Internet access is restricted in Tibet by the Authorities of Communist China, which is tightly controlled by Occupation Forces, and reporters cannot travel to China Occupied Tibet without Chinese government permission.

Chinese State-owned People’s Daily says more than 30,000 people have been relocated in the region. Electricity and mobile phone service in Tingri county, near the epicentre, were restored by Wednesday morning, according to Chinese state media.

Officials estimate that more than 3,600 buildings had collapsed, potentially leaving thousands without shelter.

Videos published by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed houses destroyed and and buildings brought down in Tibet’s holy Shigatse city, with rescue workers wading through debris and handing out thick blankets to locals.

Sangji Dangzhi – whose supermarket was damaged in the earthquake – told news agency AFP by phone that the destruction of homes had been extensive.

“Here the houses are made from dirt so when the earthquake came… lots of houses collapsed,” the 34-year-old said, adding that ambulances had been taking people to hospital throughout the day.

A hotel resident in Shigatse told Chinese media outlet Fengmian News he had been jolted awake by a wave of shaking. He said he had grabbed his socks and rushed out on to the street, where he saw helicopters circling above.

“It felt like even the bed was being lifted,” he said, adding that he immediately knew it was an earthquake because Tibet recently experienced multiple smaller quakes.