Powerful earthquakes strike China and Tibet, killing over 30 and shaking neighboring regions

Deadly earthquakes strike Tibet, shaking India, Nepal, and Bhutan

At least 30 people lost their lives early Tuesday morning as six earthquakes, including a major 7.1-magnitude tremor, struck Tibet within an hour. The quakes sent shockwaves across parts of India, Nepal, and Bhutan, causing widespread panic and structural damage.

Casualties and damage in Tibet

• News reports confirmed at least 36 deaths in the Tibetan region.
• China’s Xinhua news agency reported 32 fatalities and 38 injuries.
• Another report from AP indicated nine deaths in western China.
• Several buildings near the epicenter collapsed, and Dingri County experienced strong tremors. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV highlighted significant damage in areas close to the epicenter.

Tremors felt across neighboring regions

• Strong tremors were experienced in Delhi-NCR, Bihar’s Patna, other northern states in India, and parts of West Bengal and northeastern states like Assam.
• Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, saw residents evacuate homes in panic after feeling powerful shakes.

Eyewitness account

Meera Adhikari, a Kathmandu resident, described the moment:
“I was sleeping when I felt the bed shaking. At first, I thought my child was moving the bed, but the windows confirmed it was an earthquake. I quickly evacuated with my child to an open ground,” she said.

Details of the earthquakes

• The National Centre for Seismology reported the first and strongest earthquake, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, at 6:35 AM near the Nepal-Tibet border in Xizang. Chinese officials recorded it as 6.8 magnitude in Shigatse, Tibet’s second-largest city.
• Two aftershocks, measuring 4.7 and 4.9, followed shortly in the same area.

The epicenter lies in a seismically active region where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, contributing to the uplift of the Himalayan mountains. This area has seen 29 earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher within a 200 km radius of Shigatse in the past five years, but none as powerful as Tuesday’s event.

Ongoing monitoring

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that emergency teams are on-site, assessing the situation and monitoring for further aftershocks. While damage reports are still being collected, the potential for additional seismic activity remains high.

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