A powerful earthquake in Tibet, near Nepal, has killed at least 53 people.
On January 7, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet's holiest cities, Chinese authorities confirmed, killing at least 53 people and shaking buildings in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan, and India.
The earthquake occurred at 9:05 a.m. (8:05 a.m. Hanoi time) on January 7, with its epicenter located in Tingri, a rural county in China known as the northern gateway to the Everest region, at a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The U.S. Geological Survey rated the earthquake's magnitude at 7.1.
At least 53 people have been killed and 62 injured in western Tibet, China's state news agency reported.
Southwestern China, Nepal, and northern India frequently experience earthquakes due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Kathmandu in 2015, killing approximately 9,000 people and injuring thousands more in Nepal's worst earthquake ever. Among the dead were at least 18 people at the Mount Everest base camp when it was destroyed by an avalanche.
The epicenter of the January 7 earthquake was located about 80 km north of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain and a popular destination for mountaineers and hikers.
Winter is not a popular season for mountaineers and hikers in Nepal, with a German climber being the only one with a permit to climb Mount Everest. He left the base camp after failing to reach the summit, said Lilithar Awasthi, an official from the Ministry of Tourism.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the earthquakes were felt in seven mountainous districts bordering Tibet. "So far, we have not received any reports of casualties or property damage," NDRRMA spokesperson Dizan Bhattarai told Reuters. "We have mobilized police, security forces and local authorities to gather information," he added.
The earthquake's impact was felt throughout the Shigatse region of Tibet, home to 800,000 people. This area is administered by the city of Shigatse, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism.
Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that comprehensive search and rescue efforts are necessary to minimize casualties, provide proper resettlement for those affected, and ensure a warm and safe winter.
Villages in Tingri reported strong shaking during the earthquake, followed by dozens of aftershocks with magnitudes up to 4.4.
There are three towns and 27 villages within a 20-kilometer radius of the epicenter, with a total population of approximately 6,900, Xinhua reported. Local government officials are in contact with neighboring towns to assess the impact of the earthquake and check for casualties. Aftershocks were also felt in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, about 400 kilometers away, where people fled their homes.
The earthquake also shook Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, and the northern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal.
To date, there have been no reports of damage or loss of property, officials in India said.
