The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck China’s remote Tibet region on Tuesday morning has risen to at least 53, state media reported. The quake’s tremors were also felt in neighboring Nepal and India.
Videos aired by China’s state broadcaster CCTV revealed widespread destruction, with houses reduced to rubble, walls torn apart, and debris scattered across the ruins in the aftermath of the quake.
The earthquake struck Dingri County in the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, near the border with Nepal, at 9:05 a.m. (0105 GMT). The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) recorded the quake’s magnitude at 6.8, while the US Geological Survey measured it at 7.1.
“Fifty-three people have been confirmed dead, and 62 others injured as of Tuesday noon,” reported the Xinhua news agency. Many buildings near the epicenter have collapsed, and local authorities are working to assess the full impact of the disaster.
The high-altitude Dingri County, home to about 62,000 residents and located near Mount Everest, is grappling with freezing temperatures that are expected to drop from -8°C (17.6°F) to -18°C (0°F) by night, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
While earthquakes are common in the region, this was the most powerful recorded within a 200-kilometer radius in the past five years, the CENC noted.
Tremors Felt in Nepal and India
The earthquake caused significant tremors in areas near Everest, including Nepal’s Kathmandu and the Lobuche region.
“It shook quite strongly here, and everyone is awake,” said Jagat Prasad Bhusal, a government official in Nepal’s Namche region. However, no damages or casualties were reported in Nepal, according to Home Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari.
In India’s Bihar state, tremors were also felt, but no injuries were reported.
A Region Prone to Earthquakes
The region lies on a major geological faultline where the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas. Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence here.
In 2015, Nepal experienced a devastating 7.8-magnitude quake that killed nearly 9,000 people, injured more than 22,000, and destroyed over half a million homes.
China has also faced deadly earthquakes in recent years. In January 2024, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake along the China-Kyrgyzstan border killed three people and injured dozens. In December 2023, a quake in northwest China claimed 148 lives and displaced thousands in Gansu province.
The 2023 disaster was China’s deadliest earthquake since 2014, when more than 600 people were killed in Yunnan province.
