A 6. 8-magnitude earthquake struck the northern foothills of the Himalayas near Xigaze city in Tibet on Tuesday, leading to at least 53 deaths and injuring 62 individuals. The tremor caused buildings to shake in surrounding areas, including Nepal, Bhutan, and India.
As per regional disaster relief authorities, the earthquake hit Dingri County in Xigaze, situated in the Tibet Autonomous Region, at 9:05 AM Beijing Time. It occurred at a depth of 10 km (6. 2 miles), as indicated by the China Earthquake Networks Centre, according to Reuters.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV noted that at least 53 individuals lost their lives on the Tibetan side. Tremors were additionally experienced in Delhi-NCR and parts of North India, including regions of Bihar.
Key Updates on the Earthquake
- A 7. 1-magnitude earthquake in Nepal resulted in tremors that reached Delhi-NCR and various regions in North India.
- The United States Geological Survey (USGS) verified that the earthquake took place at 6:35 AM, 93 km northeast of Lobuche, close to the Nepal-Tibet border.
- The epicenter of the quake is located in a region where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge, leading to the uplift of the Himalayan mountains, which is powerful enough to change the heights of some of the tallest peaks in the world.
- The 6. 8-magnitude quake hit Dingri County, adjacent to the Nepal border, at 9:05 AM (0105 GMT), as reported by the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC).
- CCTV mentioned that numerous communities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the epicenter were impacted, and the site was approximately 380 kilometers (240 miles) from Lhasa, Tibet’s capital.
- The USGS also documented at least six aftershocks with magnitudes between 4 and 5, occurring within an hour following the main quake around 7 AM.
- This earthquake is the strongest in the area within a 200-kilometer radius over the past five years.
- In 2015, a 7. 8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal resulted in nearly 9,000 fatalities, over 22,000 injuries, and the destruction of more than half a million homes. Nepal is situated on a significant fault line where the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Eurasian plate.
