Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama this morning presided over a special prayer congregation to observe the customary 49th day of thousands of Tibetans who died in the devastating earthquake that rocked Kyegudo in Tibet on 14 April.
Thousands of Tibetans gathered at the Tsuglagkhang Temple in Dharamsala, India to offer special prayers to bring comfort to all the bereaved family members and for the speedy recovery of those injured in the tragedy. The entire Tibetan administrative officials attended the prayer gathering.
Prayer service is the seventh one held in Dharamsala, every week since the earthquake, weekly prayer service for seven consecutive weeks after the death of a person has religious significance in the Tibetan Buddhist custom.
China says the death toll from an earthquake that hit a Tibetan region in the country's west last month has risen to 2,698. China's official Xinhua news agency says another 270 people remain missing after the April 14 quake in Qinghai province.
Chinese officials have ignored the Dalai Lama's appeal to be allowed to visit the disaster zone.
Some information for this report was provided by Tibet.net