A POWERFUL earthquake in Tibet and parts of Nepal killed at least 126 people today.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed, littering the streets with rubble under which many people are reportedly trapped, and dozens of aftershocks hampered rescue operations.

Rescue workers climbed mounds of broken bricks, some using ladders in heavily damaged villages, as they searched for survivors. 

Videos posted by China’s Ministry of Emergency Management showed two people being carried on stretchers by workers treading over the debris from collapsed homes.

At least 188 people were injured in Tibet, on the Chinese side of the border, broadcaster CCTV reported.

Residents in north-eastern Nepal reported feeling the earthquake, but there were no initial reports of injuries or damage, according to the country’s National Emergency Operation Centre. 

The area around Mount Everest, about 50 miles south-west of the epicentre, was empty as many residents have moved elsewhere to escape the winter cold.

The quake woke residents in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, about 140 miles from the epicentre, and sent them running into the streets.

China’s Earthquake Networks Centre recorded the magnitude as 6.8. 

The epicentre was in Tibet’s Tingri county, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates grind against each other and can cause earthquakes strong enough to change the heights of some of the world’s tallest peaks in the Himalayan mountains.

About 50 aftershocks were recorded in the three hours after the earthquake and the Mount Everest scenic area on the Chinese side was closed.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to rescue people, minimise casualties and resettle those whose homes have suffered damage. 

More than 3,000 rescuers have been deployed to the area, CCTV reported.

Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing was dispatched to the scene to guide the work, while the government announced the allocation of 100 million yuan (around £11m) for disaster relief.

About 6,900 people live in three townships and 27 villages within 12.5 miles of the epicentre on the Chinese side, local media said. 

The average altitude in the area is about 13,800 feet, the Chinese earthquake centre said in a social media post.

On the south-western edge of Kathmandu, a video showed water spilling out into the street from a pond in a courtyard with a small temple.

“It is a big earthquake,” a woman can be heard saying. “People are all shaking.”