Rescuers working in subzero conditions and bracing winds searched the rubble Wednesday after a strong quake in Tibet toppled thousands of houses in a remote area near the northern foothills of Mount Everest. Tens of thousands of residents were being transferred to safety while dozens were being treated for injuries.

At least 126 people have died and 188 were injured in the quake, which struck Tuesday morning in Dingri County, near one of Tibet’s most historic cities, in western China, state media reported. The quake was China’s deadliest since December 2023, when 151 people were killed in a magnitude 6.2 temblor in the northwestern provinces of Gansu and Qinghai.

The area has since recorded more than 600 aftershocks, some exceeding a magnitude of 4.0, Chinese state media said. Survivors and rescuers have had to brave freezing temperatures, as the mercury dropped to a low of 0 Fahrenheit at night. Recent aerial images near the epicenter showed frozen lake surfaces, and temperatures are expected to remain low for the next three days.

— The New York Times