At least 53 people have been confirmed dead and 62 are injured after a major earthquake struck the mountainous Tibet region on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media reported.
The earthquake that hit Tibet's holy Shigatse city around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to data from the US Geological Survey, which also showed a series of aftershocks in the area.
Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Nepal and parts of India.
Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line.
Shigatse is considered one of the holiest cities of Tibet. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.
Tingri county, near the earthquake's epicentre, is a popular base for climbers preparing to ascend Mount Everest.
Mount Everest sightseeing tours in Tingri, originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, have been cancelled, a tourism staff told local media, adding that the sightseeing area has been fully closed.
There were three visitors in the sightseeing area who have all been moved to an outdoor area for safety, they said.
Chinese state media reported the earthquake as having a slightly lesser magnitude of 6.8, causing "obvious" tremors and leading to the damage of over 1,000 houses. There have been several strong aftershocks.
