Rescuers search for survivors of deadly Tibet earthquake

Rescuers are desperately searching for survivors after a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck in the mountainous Tibetan region, killing at least 53 people.

The death toll is expected to rise following the quake that caused massive tremors in Nepal, Bhutan and India on Tuesday morning (7 January).

The earthquake, which struck at 9.05am local time, was centred in Tibet’s Tingri County in Xigaze City at a depth of about 10km, the US Geological Survey reported.

The epicenter was in the rural Chinese county known as the northern gateway to the Everest region. China’s earthquake centre had placed the magnitude at 6.8.