At least 95 people were killed in a strong earthquake near Mount Everest in western China

At least 95 people were killed in a powerful earthquake in Tibet on Tuesday, with dozens of aftershocks in western China and along the border with Nepal.

Officials in the region said at a brief news conference that another 130 people were injured, state broadcaster CCTV said.

CCTV footage showed orange-clad rescue workers climbing over piles of debris covering houses in the badly damaged village, debris littering the streets and crushing cars in other areas.

State media quoted the Tibet earthquake relief headquarters as saying that about 1,000 houses were destroyed.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and was relatively shallow at a depth of about 10 kilometers. China was recorded at 6.8 points.

The epicenter of the earthquake was about 75 kilometers northeast of Mount Everest, located on the China-Nepal border. The area is seismically active and is where the Indian and Eurasian plates collide, causing uplifts strong enough to change the height of the world’s highest peaks in the Himalayas.

Mount Everest area is closed

About 50 aftershocks were recorded in the three hours after the earthquake, and the Mount Everest Scenic Area on the Chinese side was closed after the earthquake.

About 1,500 firefighters and rescuers were involved in the search for people, the Ministry of Emergencies. Two hundred soldiers joined the search, CCTV said.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort to rescue people, minimize casualties and relocate those whose homes were damaged. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing was sent to the area to lead the work.

CCTV said several communities were within 5 kilometers of the quake, which is 380 kilometers from Tibet’s capital Lhasa and about 23 kilometers from the region’s second-largest city, Shigatse, known as Xigaze in Chinese.

The China Earthquake Networks Center said on its social media account that the average elevation in the area around the epicenter is about 4,200 meters.

Tremors were felt in Nepal

Authorities in Nepal have asked officials to search for any casualties or damage in the mountainous area near the epicenter of the earthquake.

The National Emergency Operations Center in Kathmandu said people felt the quake strongly in northeastern Nepal, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to homes.

A police officer in Solukhumbu district, where Mount Everest is located, said by phone that there is no information about the destruction. The area, often crowded with climbers and hikers, was deserted in the depths of winter. Most of the residents move to the south to avoid harsh winters.

The earthquake that occurred in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, about 230 kilometers from the epicenter, woke up residents and drove them out of their homes and into the streets.

The USGS said 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 have occurred in the area where Tuesday’s earthquake occurred in the past century.