Rescue workers in the cold, high-altitude Tibet region in western China searched for more survivors and victims Wednesday, one day after a strong earthquake leveled thousands of houses and killed at least 126 people.

Authorities moved more than 45,000 people in earthquake-hit Tibet to shelters in a massive rescue operation at the foot of the Himalayas as they wound down the search in a high-altitude environment where the odds of survival were always slim.

More than 400 people trapped by rubble in earthquake-stricken Tibet have been rescued, Chinese officials said, with an unknown number still unaccounted for in freezing weather a day after a strong tremor rocked the Himalayan foothills.

More than 120 people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet on Tuesday morning, with tremors felt across the Himalayas in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India.

In Kathmandu, India, and Dharamshala, Nepal, Tibetan exiles prayed for the victims of the earthquake that struck Tibet. View on euronews

More than 400 people trapped by rubble in earthquake-stricken Tibet have been rescued, Chinese officials said on Wednesday, with an unknown number still unaccounted for in freezing weather a day after a strong tremor rocked the Himalayan foothills.

At least 120 people have lost their lives in Tibet after a powerful earthquake struck the region on Tuesday morning, with tremors also felt in Nepal and Bhutan. The 7.1-magnitude quake hit at 9:05 a.m.