A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, the China Earthquake Network Center said, damaging buildings around Shigatse and sending people running into the streets of Nepal and China. neighboring India.
State media said 32 people died in the quake, which struck at 9:05 a.m. Tuesday with an epicenter 10 km deep.
“Thirty-two people were confirmed dead and 38 injured in the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Dingri County, Xigaze City, Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet) at 9:05 a.m. on Tuesday,” he said. said the Xinhua news agency, citing the regional disaster. emergency headquarters.
Xinhua said “local authorities are contacting various municipalities in the county to assess the impact of the earthquake.”
“Dingri County and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors, and many buildings near the epicenter collapsed,” state broadcaster CCTV said earlier.
Temperatures in Dingri are around minus 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit) and will drop to minus 18 this evening, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
Collapsed storefronts can be seen in a video showing the aftermath of the disaster in the nearby town of Lhatse, with debris spilling onto the road.
Reuters was able to confirm the location from nearby buildings, windows, road layouts and signage that matched satellite images and street views. The date could not be independently verified.
Tremors were felt in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, 400 km away, where residents fled their homes.
Tremors were also felt in the northern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal. As the walls shook, people rushed out of their homes and apartments to take shelter in open spaces.
So far, no reports of damage or loss of property have been received, Indian officials said.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 is considered strong and can cause serious damage.
The southwestern regions of China are frequently hit by earthquakes. A massive earthquake in Sichuan province in 2008 killed nearly 70,000 people.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, there have been 29 earthquakes with a magnitude of three or more within a 200 km radius of the Shigatse quake in the past five years, all smaller than the one that struck. hit Tuesday morning.
In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude tremor struck near Kathmandu in neighboring Nepal, killing around 9,000 people and injuring thousands in the country’s worst earthquake.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
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