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 struck Tibet this week, estimated between 6.8 and 7.1 magnitude. Its effects were devastating. Witnesses shared footage of rubble-strewn streets of a city in the Himalayas region,

China recorded the magnitude as 6.8. The U.S. Geological Survey said it measured 7.1, with an epicenter some 50 miles northeast of Mount Everest.