Magnitude 7.1 earthquake hits Tibet, causing casualties

Chinese state media reported that at least 53 people were confirmed dead and 62 injured after a massive earthquake struck China’s Tibet mountainous region on Tuesday morning.

According to data from the US Geological Survey, the magnitude of the earthquake that occurred in Shigatse, a holy city in Tibet, around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) was 7.1 and the depth was 10 km. Aftershocks in the area.

The earthquake was also felt in neighboring Nepal and parts of India.

Earthquakes occur frequently in this area, located on major geological fault lines.

Shigatse is considered one of the most sacred cities of Tibet. This is where the Panchen Lama, a key figure in Tibetan Buddhism with spiritual authority after the Dalai Lama, is enshrined.

Tingri County, near the earthquake epicenter, is a popular base for climbers preparing to scale Mount Everest.

Tingri’s Mount Everest sightseeing tour originally scheduled for Tuesday morning has been cancelled, tourism staff told local media, adding that the tourist area was completely closed.

All three visitors at the tourist site said they had moved to an outdoor area for safety reasons.

Chinese state media reported that the quake occurred at a slightly smaller magnitude of 6.8, causing “obvious” shaking and tremors. More than 1,000 homes were damaged. Several strong aftershocks occurred.

Zhang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Network Center, told Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV that “another earthquake of magnitude 5 or so could still occur, but it is unlikely that a larger one will occur.”

China has maintained tight control over the autonomous region, including media and internet access, since annexing Tibet in the 1950s.

Social media posts from areas hit by Tuesday’s earthquake showed collapsed buildings.

A hotel resident in Shigatse told Chinese media outlet Fengmian News that he was startled awake by loud shaking. He said he grabbed his socks and ran out into the street, where he saw a helicopter circling above.

“It felt like even my bed was being lifted,” he said, adding, “I immediately knew it was an earthquake because several small earthquakes have occurred in Tibet recently.”

The Chinese Air Force has deployed rescue efforts and drones to the affected area, located at the foot of Mount Everest, where temperatures are well below freezing.

Both power and water were cut off in the area.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also called for full-scale search and rescue efforts to minimize casualties and resettle the affected residents.

Tremors were felt in Nepal, but no damage or casualties were reported, an official in Nepal’s Namche region near Everest told AFP.

Areas located nearby are It is a major fault line in the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates and is a frequent site of seismic activity. In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killing more than 9,000 people and injuring more than 20,000.