China has almost doubled its tally of injured in Tibet's deadly earthquake as rescuers widened a search on Friday for survivors in a remote county near the foothills of the Himalayas, despite dwindling hopes for survival.

Authorities moved more than 45,000 people in earthquake-hit Tibet to shelters in a massive rescue operation at the foot of the Himalayas as they wound down the search in a high-altitude environment where the odds of survival were always slim.

STORY: Chinese officials ended the search for survivors of Tibet's 6.8 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday, one day after the tremor.They say they're shifting focus to relocating the displaced and treating the injured after pulling a reported 407 people from the rubble.

More than 400 people trapped by rubble in earthquake-stricken Tibet have been rescued, Chinese officials said, with an unknown number still unaccounted for in freezing weather a day after a strong tremor rocked the Himalayan foothills.