Authorities moved more than 47,000 people to shelters in earthquake-hit Tibet, Chinese officials said on Thursday, while rescuers widen a massive combing effort for survivors near the foothills of the Himalayas, despite slim survival odds.

By Joe Cash and Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) -Authorities moved more than 45,000 people in earthquake-hit Tibet to shelters in a massive rescue operation near the foot of the Himalayas, as they wound down the search in a high-altitude environment where the odds of survival were always slim.

A powerful earthquake has rocked the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 53 people and shaking buildings in neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India.