Earthquake in Tibet kills more than 120, striking near holy Buddhist city – World

A strong earthquake struck the Himalayan foothills near one of Tibet’s most sacred cities on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people and leveling hundreds of homes, Chinese authorities said.

The epicenter of the magnitude 6.8 earthquake was about 80 kilometers north of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain. The tremors also shook buildings in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and India.

The impact was felt throughout the Shigatse region of Tibet, where 800,000 people live. The region is administered from the city of Shigatse, traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures of Tibetan Buddhism.

Many houses in the city of Shigatse were reduced to rubble, video released by Tibet Fire and Rescue shows. Rescuers searched through the rubble of a ruined house and pulled out an injured person, it showed.

Compounding the misery of those left homeless, temperatures in the region had fallen to minus six degrees Celsius later today and were forecast to drop to -16C overnight.

The China Seismic Network Center located the epicenter in Tingri County, known as the northern gate of the Everest region, at a depth of 10 kilometers. The United States Geological Survey estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.1. It happened at 09:05 hours (01:05 GMT).

At least 126 people are known to have been killed and 188 injured on the Tibetan side, the Chinese state government reported. Xinhua the news agency reported. There were no reports of deaths elsewhere.

Images broadcast on state television. closed circuit television It showed rescuers performing CPR on an injured person and soldiers setting up temporary shelters.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader who fled to India along with thousands of Tibetans in early 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said he was deeply saddened.

“I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a speedy recovery to all those who have been injured,” the Nobel Peace Prize winner said in a message.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said search and rescue efforts should be carried out to minimize casualties and resettle affected people.

Beijing, which administers Tibet as an autonomous region within China, rejects criticism from human rights groups and exiles who accuse it of trampling on the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.

China closed the Everest region to tourists after the earthquake. Xinhua reported. Mount Everest is a popular destination for climbers and trekkers, but winter is not the best season for climbers and trekkers in Nepal.

A German climber was the only climber permitted to scale Everest, but he had already abandoned base camp after failing to reach the summit, said Lilathar Awasthi, a tourism department official.

More than 1,500 firefighters and first responders have been sent to affected areas. Xinhua saying. Some 22,000 items have also been sent, including tents, coats, duvets and folding beds, he added.

Tremors, aftershocks

Tingri villages, where the average elevation is about 4,000-5,000 meters, reported strong shaking during the earthquake, which was followed by more than 150 aftershocks with magnitudes up to 4.4.

In a video posted on social media, crumpled storefronts could be seen showing the consequences in the city of Lhatse, with debris spilling onto the road.

Three municipalities and 27 villages are located within 20 kilometers of the epicenter, with a total population of around 6,900, and more than 1,000 houses have been damaged. Xinhua reported.

Areas in southwestern China, Nepal and northern India are often affected by earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Since 1950, there have been 21 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or higher in the so-called Lhasa block, the largest of which was the magnitude 6.9 Mainling earthquake in 2017, according to closed circuit television.

Mainling is located on the lower reaches of Tibet’s Yarlung Zangbo River, where China plans to build the world’s largest hydroelectric dam.

A magnitude 7.8 tremor struck near Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, in 2015, killing about 9,000 people and injuring thousands in the worst earthquake ever recorded in the country. The dead include at least 18 people who died at the Mount Everest base camp when it was hit by an avalanche.

Tremors were felt today in Kathmandu, about 400 kilometers from the epicenter, and the city’s residents ran out of their homes.

“The bed was shaking and I thought my son was moving the bed… I didn’t pay much attention but the shaking [a] The window made me understand that it is an earthquake,” said Meera Adhikarii, a resident of Kathmandu.

“I’m still shaking with fear and shock.”

One person was injured in Kathmandu when he jumped from the top of a house after feeling strong tremors, Nepal police spokesman Bishwa Adhikari said.

The earthquake also shook Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, and the northern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal.



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