A devastating earthquake in China's remote Tibet region killed at least 126 people and damaged thousands of buildings on Tuesday, state media reported, with tremors also felt in neighbouring Nepal's capital Kathmandu and parts of India.

According to regional disaster relief headquarters, the 6.8 magnitude quake took place at 9:05 am Tuesday (Beijing Time). However, according to the The US Geological Service, the quake's magnitude was 7.

The most powerful of these, measuring 7.1 in magnitude, was the strongest in this region since the devastating April 2015 earthquake in Nepal that had killed about 10,000 people.