China Earthquake: At least 53 Reported Killed As Powerful Earthquake Hits Tibet -

At least 53 reported killed as powerful earthquake hits Tibet.

A significant earthquake that slammed China’s mountainous Tibet area Tuesday morning has left 62 people injured and at least 53 confirmed dead, according to Chinese state media.

According to data from the US Geological Survey, the earthquake that struck Tibet’s sacred Shigatse city at approximately 9:00 local time (01:00 GMT) had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles).

The survey also revealed a number of aftershocks in the region. Additionally, regions of India and neighboring Nepal experienced tremors.

Earthquakes frequently occur there because the area is situated on a significant geological fault line. Shigatse is regarded as one of Tibet’s holiest cities.

The Panchen Lama, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is surpassed only by that of the Dalai Lama, has traditionally resided there.

Climbers planning to tackle Mount Everest frequently base themselves in Tingri County, which is close to the epicentre of the earthquake.

According to a tourism official who spoke to local media, Tingri’s Mount Everest sightseeing trips that were originally planned for Tuesday morning have been canceled. The sightseeing area has now been completely closed.

They claimed that three tourists in the sightseeing area had all been relocated to an outdoor space for their own safety. At a somewhat lower magnitude of 6.8, the earthquake caused “obvious” tremors and damaged more than 1,000 homes, according to Chinese state media.

A number of powerful aftershocks have been recorded. “A gradual attenuation process always occurs after a major earthquake,” Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, informed CCTV.

“The likelihood of a larger earthquake is low,” Jiang stated, however another earthquake of about magnitude 5 might still happen. Tibet has been tightly governed by China since its annexation in the 1950s, including its media and internet access.

Building collapses were seen in social media pictures from Tuesday’s earthquake-affected area. Drones and rescue operations have been sent by the Chinese air force to the afflicted location, which is located at the base of Mount Everest and has temperatures well below freezing.

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The area has lost both water and electricity. In order to minimize losses and relocate impacted residents, Chinese President Xi Jinping has also called for intensive search and rescue operations.

A local official in Nepal’s Namche region, close to Everest, told AFP that although there were tremors detected in the country, there were no reports of damage or injuries.

Seismic activity is common in the area, which is close to a significant fault line connecting the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

– Deeprows News