Tibet Earthquake: 6.8 Magnitude Strikes Near Nepal Border, 53 Dead

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8 hit the northern foothills of the Himalayas on Tuesday, near the city of Xigaze in Tibet, causing widespread damage and fatalities. The tremor, which occurred at 9:05 a.m. (Beijing Time), originated in Tingri, a rural county that forms the northern entryway to the Everest region. The earthquake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), resulted in the loss of at least 53 lives and left 62 people injured.

Buildings across neighboring countries, including Nepal, Bhutan, and India, experienced significant shaking due to the tremors. The epicenter was reported by the China Earthquake Networks Center to be located in Dingri County, part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. According to regional authorities, the quake triggered tremors that could be felt in several regions in India, including parts of Delhi-NCR and Bihar.

Additionally, earlier seismic activity was reported, including a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Nepal, which also caused shaking in North India. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) revealed that the earthquake in Nepal struck at 6:35 a.m. (local time), 93 kilometers northeast of Lobuche, near the Nepal-Tibet border, in the seismic zone where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

In Tibet, near the border with Nepal, a series of aftershocks followed the primary earthquake, with several tremors of magnitude ranging from 4 to 5 occurring within the next hour. The tremors were the strongest seismic activity recorded in the region within the last five years, according to reports.

In 2015, a devastating earthquake in Nepal claimed nearly 9,000 lives and caused severe damage to infrastructure. Nepal sits on a major geological fault line where the Indian plate collides with the Eurasian plate, creating the conditions for frequent and intense earthquakes.