At least 95 reported killed as powerful earthquake hits Tibet

At least 95 people were killed and many injured after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Tuesday morning. The epicentre was located in Xizang in Tibet, near the Nepal border. The earthquake also sent tremors across parts of North India, including Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim. The tremors were strongly felt in parts of Bihar, prompting people to rush out of their homes and apartments in panic. 
The official Xinhua News Agency, citing the regional disaster relief headquarters, reported that 130 people were injured on the Tibetan in the quake on Tuesday, as dozens of aftershocks shook the region of western China and the neighbouring state of Nepal.Some 1,500 firefighters and rescue workers were deployed to search for people in the rubble, the Ministry of Emergency Management said. The quake struck at 9:05am local time (01:05 GMT) at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center, which recorded a magnitude of 6.8. However, the United States Geological Survey measured its magnitude as 7.1.

A powerful earthquake jolted southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday morning, killing at least 95 people and injuring 130 others. Here is what we know about the disaster as of Tuesday afternoon https://t.co/4zf6NSot8y pic.twitter.com/1nMPQAKIVm

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) January 7, 2025

Xinhua reported that at least nine people were killed in three townships – Changsuo, Quluo and Cuoguo – in Shigatse’s surrounding Tingri county, where many buildings had collapsed, and local media report that dozens of people died.Shigatse is one of Tibet’s holiest cities and the seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.
Powerful tremors were also felt in northern India’s Bihar state and Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, some 400km (248 miles) away, where residents reportedly ran from their houses as buildings shook.

Nepal: An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale struck 93 km northeast of Lobuche, at 06:35:16 IST today. Strong tremors were felt across Kathmandu and other western districts pic.twitter.com/ysEiNulN7L

— IANS (@ians_india) January 7, 2025

There have been no reports of casualties in Nepal so far. However, police and other security forces have been mobilised to collect information on the impact of the quake, a local official told Reuters.Nepal and southwestern parts of China have been hit frequently by earthquakes.