A powerful earthquake has struck a remote region of Tibet, killing at least 126 people and wounding more than 100 others, with tremors felt in Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake on Tuesday measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, while the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) recorded a magnitude of 6.8.

The epicentre of the quake was the Shigatse high-altitude county of Dingri, located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest and home to about 62,000 people. Shigatse is the seat of the Panchen Lama, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

The Xinhua state news agency reported that more than 1,000 houses have been damaged to varying degrees by the quake that shook the region at a depth of about 10km (6 miles) at 9:05am (01:05 GMT).

“Dingri county and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors, and many buildings near the epicentre have collapsed,” reported state broadcaster CCTV.

“A total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured as of 7:00pm (11:00 GMT) Tuesday,” Xinhua reported.

Dingri is currently experiencing temperatures of about minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The China Meteorological Administration forecast that the mercury will drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius (minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by Tuesday evening.

The remote Shigatse is far from China’s main cities. This, combined with the extreme cold, has hindered rescue efforts, according to Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing.