At least 36 people have died as a result of a powerful earthquake that struck Tibet’s Himalayan region in southwest China, according to the online version of the Nanfang Daily newspaper.

The quake was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake, CCTV reported. However, the US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated it was 7.1.

According to the New China News Agency, there are “dead in three communities”.

“Tremors were particularly felt in the canton of Dingri and its surroundings and many buildings collapsed near the epicentre,” public television CCTV reported.

Dozens of aftershocks have already been recorded, with the strongest being a magnitude 4.4 on the Richter scale.

The official news agency New China News reported that local authorities rushed to various communities to “assess” the effects of the quake.

This Tibetan canton, at a high altitude, has a population of about 62,000 and is not far from the Chinese sector of Mount Everest.

The quake was felt as far away as Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, some 400 kilometers away in a straight line.