NEW DELHI: At least 95 people were known to have been killed and 130 injured in Tibet after a powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.8 rocked the northern foothills of the Himalayas and shaking buildings in neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India; media reports said.

The quake hit at 9:05 AM (0105 GMT), with its epicentre located in Tingri, a rural county known as the northern gateway to the Everest region, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre. The U.S. Geological Service put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1.

Southwestern parts of China, Nepal and northern India are frequently hit by earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, with military and air force support. The earthquake also caused significant damage in the region. There were 49 aftershocks recorded.

The epicentre of the earthquake was around 80 km (50 miles) north of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain and a popular destination for climbers and trekkers.