A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake has struck Tibet in southern China, causing buildings to collapse near the epicenter and killing an unknown number of people, according to local officials. Shaking was also felt in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
The earthquake, which struck at 9:05 a.m. Tibet time or 6:50 a.m. Nepal time (0105 UTC) on Tuesday, was centered on the Chinese side of the border, about 177 kilometers southwest of Shigatse, Tibet or 201 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu, Nepal.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 and struck about 10 kilometers below the surface, making it a very shallow earthquake. China’s earthquake center put the magnitude at 6.8.
Tuesday’s earthquake was widely felt across the region, with numerous reports of strong shaking shared on social media. Tremors were felt across Tibet and Nepal (including the capital Kathmandu) and parts of India, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
Computer models from the USGS estimate that up to 105 million people may have felt Tuesday’s earthquake, including 76,000 people near the epicenter who may have experienced “strong” to “severe” sharing.
The state-run Xinhua news agency in China reported that “many” buildings had collapsed in towns near the epicenter in Dingri County, causing an unknown number of casualties. Rescue operations are underway.
On the other side of the border, Nepal Police spokesperson Bishwa Adhikari said there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries from the powerful earthquake. Assessments were still ongoing.
“The shake was quite good,” one resident in Nepal told EMSC. “Birds started chirping. Everyone came out of their houses in the early morning cold.”
Nepal and the surrounding region are occasionally hit by strong earthquakes. A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit northwest of Kathmandu in April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people and injuring thousands more.