A powerful earthquake struck Tibet Photo: Xinhua
A devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday at 9:05 a.m. local time in the northern foothills of the Himalayas, with its epicentre located in the Tingri region of China, known as the northern entrance to the Everest region. According to the Chinese seismological centre, the earthquake had a depth of 10 km. The US Geological Survey estimated its magnitude at 7.1. This was reported by Xinhua.
At least 95 people have been killed and 130 injured in Tibet, state-run Chinese television reports. More than 1,000 homes were damaged. Authorities are conducting rescue operations and assessing the extent of the damage.
The earthquake caused powerful tremors in the city of Shigaji, home to 800,000 people, and numerous villages in the Tingri region. Residents reported strong aftershocks and numerous aftershocks of up to magnitude 4.4. In Lhatse, shop fronts have collapsed and streets are littered with debris, according to video footage on social media.
The tremors were also felt in neighbouring countries. In the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, residents fled their homes in a hurry. “We felt a very strong earthquake, but there are no reports of casualties or significant damage so far,” said Anoy Raj Ghimire, head of the Solukhumbu district, located at the foot of Mount Everest.
The earthquake also shook Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, and the northern Indian state of Bihar, but no serious damage has been reported there.
Regions at the junction of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates are often affected by strong earthquakes. In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake near Kathmandu killed about 9,000 people.
Rescue services in China, Nepal and other affected countries are working to eliminate the consequences of the disaster. The international community has expressed its readiness to help the affected regions.
