A powerful earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet and parts of Nepal, resulting in over 120 deaths.
Over 120 people lost their lives after a powerful earthquake hit a remote area of Tibet on Tuesday morning, with tremors felt throughout the Himalayas, including neighboring Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of northern India. The 7.1-magnitude quake occurred at 9:05 a.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and was followed by several aftershocks, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake’s energy destroyed houses in remote Himalayan villages, shook a nearby Tibetan holy city, and unsettled visitors at a Mount Everest base camp. According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, at least 126 people died, and 188 were injured. Over 3,600 houses were damaged. The quake’s center was in Tingri county, near the Tibetan-Nepal border, about 50 miles north of Mount Everest.
The earthquake’s epicenter was in Tingri county on the Tibetan plateau, near the Nepal border, about 50 miles north of Mount Everest. The tremors reached as far as Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. Bishal Nath Upreti from the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management described the quake as “very strong,” noting that people ran out of their homes and electrical wires shook loose from poles.
Emergency services and the Chinese military launched a large-scale rescue operation in Tibet, freeing over 400 people trapped in the rubble after the earthquake. Authorities stated that more than 30,000 residents had been relocated, and efforts to find survivors were ongoing. The area near the epicenter is sparsely populated, with around 6,900 people living in 27 villages within a 20km radius. Footage on state media showed collapsed houses and rescuers digging through debris to find survivors. Videos on Chinese social media, verified by CNN, showed damage to buildings and vehicles in Lhatse county, about 86 km from the epicenter. Shigatse, the nearest major city with around 800,000 residents, saw no immediate reports of widespread damage, though surveillance footage from a supermarket captured people running as the earthquake struck. The Dalai Lama, in exile in India, expressed his sadness and offered prayers for the victims, wishing a swift recovery for the injured.
What Caused the Massive Earthquake?
The earthquake was caused by a rupture in the Lhasa block, an area under intense tectonic pressure. This region experiences frequent seismic activity due to the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which has shaped the Himalayas over the last 60 million years. Tibet has experienced multiple earthquakes in recent decades, including a magnitude 8.6 quake in 1950. According to a study from last year, the Indian plate, which collided with the Eurasian plate, is gradually splitting beneath Tibet. This “slab tear” occurs when the upper crust of the Indian plate separates from its denser lower layer, leading to significant seismic activity in the area.
