The China Earthquake Network Center said a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck near one of Tibet's holiest cities, damaging buildings around Shigatse and sending people fleeing to the streets in neighboring Nepal and India.
State media said 53 people were killed and more than 60 injured in the earthquake that struck at 9:05 a.m. Tuesday. The epicenter of the quake was at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the Tibet region, according to the US Geological Survey. The tremor was measured at magnitude 7.1. China recorded a magnitude of 6.8.
“At 9:05 a.m. on Tuesday, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred in Dingli County, Shigaze City, Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, and as of Tuesday noon, 53 people were confirmed dead and 62 injured,” Xinhua News Agency reported. Ta. said the agency.
“Local authorities have contacted various townships in the county to assess the impact of the earthquake,” Xinhua News Agency said.
State broadcaster CCTV earlier reported that “Dingli province and surrounding areas experienced very strong shaking, and many buildings near the epicenter collapsed.” The report said more than 40 aftershocks had been recorded by noon, including 16 with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher.
CCTV reported that authorities have raised the emergency response level to level 4, the highest level, and dispatched tens of thousands of tents, coats, blankets and beds.
According to 2020 statistics, there are approximately 60,000 people living in Dinli County. The average altitude around the epicenter, which borders the Himalayas, is approximately 4,200 meters. Temperatures in Dingli are around -8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit) and will drop to -18 degrees Celsius tonight, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
Video of the aftermath in the nearby town of Latse showed collapsed storefronts and debris could be seen spilling onto the road.
Reuters was able to determine the location from nearby buildings, windows, road layouts and signs that matched satellite and Street View images. The date could not be independently confirmed.
The tremor was felt 400 kilometers (250 miles) away in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, forcing residents to flee their homes.
The tremors were also felt in the northern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal. As the walls shook, people rushed out of their homes and apartments into vacant lots.
Indian officials said they had received no reports of damage or loss to property so far.
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake is considered strong and can cause severe damage.
Southwest China is frequently hit by earthquakes. Approximately 70,000 people died in the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, 29 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher have occurred within 200 kilometers of the Shigatse quake in the past five years, all of which were smaller than Tuesday morning's quake.
In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck near Kathmandu in neighboring Nepal, killing about 9,000 people and injuring thousands more in the country's worst earthquake.
Partnership with Reuters and Agence France-Presse
