Powerful an earthquake struck a remote region of Tibetkilling at least 95 people and injuring dozens, and the tremors were felt in Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India.
Video footage broadcast by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed destroyed houses, and the official Xinhua news agency said more than 1,000 houses had been damaged. The epicenter of the earthquake was Shigatse, one of the holiest cities in Tibet.
Here’s what we know so far:
How strong was the earthquake in Tibet?
The US Geological Survey said the quake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, while the China Earthquake Network Center (CENC) recorded a magnitude of 6.8.
The quake, shortly after 9:05 a.m. local time (01:05 GMT), shook an area of western China at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles).
Where was the epicenter of the earthquake?
The epicenter of the earthquake was the high mountain district of Shigatse Dingri, which is located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest and where about 62,000 people live.
Tuesday’s quake was the strongest recorded within a radius of 200 km (124 miles) in five years, the CENC added.
Shigatse is the seat of the Panchen Lama, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.
Dingri is currently experiencing temperatures of around minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The China Meteorological Administration predicts the mercury will drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius 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.
What do we know about the victims?
At least 95 people were killed and another 130 people were injured, according to Chinese state media.
A man in Kathmandu was injured after jumping from the roof of a house following strong tremors, Nepalese police spokesman Bishwa Adhikari told Reuters.
So far, there are no reports of other casualties or damage from Nepal, India and Bhutan.
Were the houses damaged in the earthquake?
The earthquake caused infrastructural damage, and pictures show collapsed houses and other buildings reduced to rubble.
Xinhua News Agency reported that more than 1,000 houses were damaged to varying degrees.
“Dingri district and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors and many buildings near the epicenter collapsed,” according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Video footage geolocated by AFP in the city of Lhatsa shows debris strewn outside street restaurants.
Where were the earthquake tremors felt in Tibet?
Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, was rocked by the earthquake and aftershocks, forcing some residents to rush from their homes. Kathmandu is about 230 km (140 miles) south of Shigatse.
The tremors were also felt in the northern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal. They were also felt in the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu.
According to the Nepal National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), the earthquakes were felt in seven hill districts bordering Tibet.
How did the government react?
The Chinese government has sent about 1,500 rescuers, including military personnel, to the area. Al Jazeera’s Yu said there were pictures of those affected by the earthquake being helped in the streets.
Xinhua reported that about 22,000 disaster relief items have been sent to the affected areas, including cotton tents, quilts and items for high-altitude areas.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed “comprehensive search and rescue efforts, minimizing casualties as much as possible, properly relocating affected residents and ensuring their safety and warmth during the winter,” CCTV added.
Xinhua said “local authorities are reaching out to various municipalities in the district to assess the impact of the earthquake.”
Have the Himalayas experienced earthquakes recently?
The Tibetan Plateau is prone to earthquakes due to the collision of tectonic plates.
Tibet and Nepal lie on a major geological fault where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence. The region is seismically active, causing tectonic uplifts that can become strong enough to change the height of the Himalayan peaks.
There have been 29 earthquakes of magnitude three or higher in the past five years within 200 km (124 miles) of the Shigatse quake’s epicenter, according to CCTV. However, authorities say Tuesday’s quake was “stronger” than other earthquakes in the past five years, Al Jazeera’s Yu reported.
In 2015, nearly 9,000 people were killed and more than 22,000 injured when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, destroying more than half a million homes.
On May 21, 2021, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck southern China’s Qinghai province.
Tuesday’s quake is one of the worst to hit the Himalayan region in 100 years.
