a powerful Earthquake occurs in remote areas of TibetThe earthquake was felt in parts of Nepal, Bhutan and northern India, killing at least 95 people and injuring dozens more.

Video broadcast by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed houses destroyed, and the official Xinhua News Agency said more than 1,000 homes were damaged. The epicenter of the earthquake was Shigatse, one of Tibet’s holiest cities.

Here’s what we know so far:

How big was the earthquake in Tibet?

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

The quake struck at 9:05 a.m. local time (01:05 GMT) at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles) in western China.

Where is the epicenter of the earthquake?

The epicenter of the earthquake was Dingri County, a high-altitude county in Shigatse, which is located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest and is home to about 62,000 people.

CENC added that Tuesday’s quake was the strongest recorded within a radius of 200 kilometers (124 miles) in the past five years.

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

Temperatures on Thursday are currently about -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The China Meteorological Administration predicts temperatures will drop to -18 degrees Celsius by Tuesday night.

Shigatse is located in a remote area, far away from major cities in China. Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu reports from Beijing that the conditions, coupled with the extreme cold, are hampering rescue efforts.

What do we know about the victims?

According to Chinese state media, at least 95 people were killed and 130 injured.

A man in Kathmandu was injured after jumping from a roof due to strong shaking, Nepal police spokesman Bishwa Adhikari told Reuters.

So far, there have been no reports of other casualties or losses in Nepal, India and Bhutan.

Were houses damaged in the earthquake?

The quake caused infrastructure damage, with images showing collapsed homes and other buildings reduced to rubble.

Xinhua News Agency reported that more than 1,000 houses had been damaged to varying degrees.

According to CCTV, “a strong earthquake occurred in Dingri County and surrounding areas, and many buildings near the epicenter collapsed.”

In the town of Lazi, AFP geolocated video showed debris scattered in front of street restaurants.

Where did the earthquake in Tibet feel the vibration?

Nepal’s capital Kathmandu has been hit by an earthquake and aftershocks, forcing some residents to flee their homes. Kathmandu is located approximately 230 kilometers (140 miles) south of Shigatse.

The earthquake was also felt in the northern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal. The earthquake was also felt in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.

According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), seven mountainous areas bordering Tibet were shaken.

How did the government respond?

The Chinese government has dispatched about 1,500 rescue workers, including military personnel, to the area. Al Jazeera’s Yu said there were pictures of people affected by the earthquake being treated on the streets.

Xinhua News Agency reported that about 22,000 pieces of relief supplies have arrived in the disaster area, including cotton tents, quilts and items for high-altitude areas.

CCTV added that Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that “all efforts will be made to search and rescue, minimize casualties, properly resettle the affected people, and ensure that they are safe and warm through the winter.”

“Local authorities are in contact with towns and villages in the county to assess the impact of the earthquake,” Xinhua said.

Have there been recent earthquakes in the Himalayas?

The Tibetan Plateau is prone to earthquakes due to the collision of tectonic plates.

Tibet and Nepal sit on a major geological fault line, where the Indian Plate pushes upward into the Eurasian Plate to form the Himalayas, and earthquakes are common. The area is seismically active, causing tectonic uplift that is strong enough to change the height of Himalayan peaks.

In the past five years, 29 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or above have occurred within 200 kilometers (124 miles) of the epicenter of the Shigatse earthquake, China Central Television reported. However, authorities said Tuesday’s earthquake was “stronger” than others in the past five years, Al Jazeera’s Yu reported.

In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people, injuring more than 22,000, and destroying more than 500,000 houses.

On May 21, 2021, an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale occurred in Qinghai Province, southern China.

Tuesday’s earthquake was one of the worst in the Himalayan region in a century.