At least 126 dead in a strong earthquake that hit China’s Tibet | News about earthquakes
Powerful an earthquake struck a remote region of Tibetkilling at least 126 people and injuring more than 100, and the tremors were felt in Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India.
The US Geological Survey said Tuesday’s earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, while the China Earthquake Network Center (CENC) recorded a magnitude of 6.8.
The the epicenter of the earthquake was the Shigatse highland district of Dingri, located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest and home to about 62,000 people. Shigatse is the seat of the Panchen Lama, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.
The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that more than 1,000 houses were damaged to varying degrees in the earthquake that shook the region at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles) at 9:05 a.m. (01:05 GMT).
“Dingri district and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors and many buildings near the epicenter collapsed,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.
“A total of 126 people were confirmed dead and 188 injured as of 19:00 (23:00 GMT) on Tuesday,” Xinhua reported.
Dingri is currently experiencing temperatures of around minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The China Meteorological Administration forecasts that the mercury will drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius (minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by Tuesday evening.
Remote Shigatse is far from major Chinese cities. That, combined with bitter cold, hampered rescue efforts, Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu reports from Beijing.
