At least 32 people have been confirmed dead and 38 injured after a powerful earthquake struck the mountainous region of Tibet in China on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media reported.
The quake, which struck the Tibetan holy city of Shigatse at around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT), had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), according to the US Geological Survey, which also showed a series of aftershocks in the area.
The tremors were also felt in neighboring Nepal and parts of India.
Earthquakes are common in the region, which is located on a major geological fault.
Shigatse is considered one of the holiest cities in Tibet. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure in Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.
Chinese state media reported that the quake was slightly less than magnitude 6.8, causing “apparent” shaking and which led to the damage of over 1000 houses.
Posts on social media show buildings collapsing and several strong aftershocks.
“After a big earthquake, there is always a gradual weakening process,” Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, told CCTV.
While another earthquake of around magnitude 5 could still happen, Jiang said, “the probability of a larger earthquake is low.”
China’s air force has launched rescue efforts and drones to the affected area, which is at the base of Mount Everest and where temperatures are well below freezing.
Both electricity and water were cut off in the region.
Although the tremors were felt in Nepal, there were no reports of damage or casualties, a local official in Nepal’s Namche region, near Everest, told AFP.
The Tibetan Earthquake Office told the BBC on Tuesday that they could not give casualty estimates because they were still verifying the numbers.
The region, located on the main fault where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, is home to frequent seismic activity. In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured more than 20,000.
