LHASA -- Rescuers are braving freezing temperatures in combing through rubble in their search and rescue of survivors after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted a county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday morning.

Fifty-three people have been confirmed dead, and 62 others injured as of Tuesday noon, after the quake jolted Dingri county in the city of Shigatse at 9:05 am Tuesday (Beijing Time).

The earthquake was distinctly felt in the county, Tashi Dondrup, the county head of Dingri told Xinhua.

The epicenter was located in Tsogo township of Dingri. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake is the strongest tremor recorded in the county during the past five years.

The quake hit at a depth of 10 km, according to a report issued by the China Earthquake Networks Center.

According to a weather forecast from China's National Meteorological Center, the temperature in Dingri county on Tuesday would range from minus 18 degrees Celsius to zero.

Official data shows that Dingri county has a population of over 60,000 people, and approximately 6,900 people live within a 20-km radius of the epicenter. A preliminary survey revealed that more than 1,000 houses had sustained varying degrees of damage. Some of these houses have been reduced to rubble.

ALL-OUT RESCUE UNDERWAY

The first batch of rescuers started rescue work as soon as they arrived in Dingri county, China's firefighting authorities said.

As of 11:40 am, over 1,500 local firefighters and rescue workers had been dispatched to the affected areas.

In view of the severity of the disaster, the China Earthquake Administration launched a level-II emergency response and sent a work team to the site to assist with local disaster relief efforts.

The office of the State Council earthquake relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management also initiated level-III emergency responses for earthquakes on Tuesday.

Some 22,000 disaster relief items, including cotton tents, cotton coats, quilts and folding beds, together with special relief materials for high-altitude and frigid areas, have been dispatched by central authorities to the quake-hit region.

Shortly after the earthquake, the Chinese military sent a drone to survey the epicenter area, the People's Liberation Army Western Theater Command said.

Meanwhile, the theater command's air force immediately activated a disaster relief emergency plan, organizing multiple transport aircraft, medical planes, helicopters and ground forces to stand by.