(TibetanReview.net, Jan07’25) –A devastating earthquake measuring between 6.8 and 7.1 magnitudes has jolted Dingri county, home to the base camp of Mount Everest, in southern Tibet’s Shigatse city this morning, killing a total of 126 people, injuring 188 others, and destroying or damaging more than 1,000 houses in the county as of 7 pm. Its tremors were felt in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh, according various news agency reports. The Lhasa-Shigatse Railway service has been suspended and the Mt Everest scenic area temporarily closed, said China’s state media reports.
Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who is currently staying at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe town of Karnataka state, India, expressed deep sadness over “the tragic loss of many lives, numerous injuries, and extensive destruction to homes and property.” He offered prayers for those who had lost their lives and extended wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured.
The China Earthquake Networks Centre has said the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which occurred at 9:05 am local time, had its epicentre at 28.5 degrees north latitude and 87.45 degrees east longitude, and struck at a depth of 10 km. A total of 49 aftershocks were stated to have been recorded as of noon today, with the strongest measuring 4.4 magnitude.
The epicentre was stated to be around 50 miles north of Mt Everest and 57 miles from Lobuche in Nepal. “Dingri county and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors, and many buildings near the epicentre have collapsed,” the AFP Jan 7 cited state broadcaster CCTV as saying.
China’s official Xinhua news agency said the epicentre was located in Tsogo Township, with approximately 6,900 people living within a 20-km radius. A total of approximately 6,900 people are stated to live in this area in 27 villages. The report said Dingri County lies on the northern slope of the Himalayas, bordering Nepal to the south, with 90% of it being part of the Qomolangma National Nature Reserve. Qomolangma is pinyin Chinese rendition of Jomolangma, the Tibetan name for Mt Everest.
The report added that with a population of over 60,000, the county is one of the most populous border counties in Tibet Autonomous Region, which China calls Xizang.
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Chinese social media videos geolocated by CNN showed damaged roofs, shop fronts and debris piling on the streets of Lhatse county, some 86 kilometres (53 miles) from the epicentre, noted the edition.cnn.com Jan 7.
In Shigatse, the major city nearest to the epicentre, surveillance camera footage at a supermarket shared by Xinhua captured the moment the quake struck, with customers running outside as goods fell from quivering shelves, the report noted.
In Nepal, the tremors were felt as far as capital Kathmandu. “It was very strong. People came running out of their houses. You could see the wires from poles shaken loose,” the report quoted Bishal Nath Upreti from the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, a non-government organization in Kathmandu, a saying.
“We felt a very strong earthquake. So far we have not received any report of injuries or physical loss,” Reuters quoted Anoj Raj Ghimire, chief district officer of Solukhumbu district in Nepal, as saying.
Neighbouring districts, including Dhading and Kavrepalanchok, also felt the earthquake, said the financialexpress.com Jan 7.
A total of 13 people have been injured across various districts in Nepal – 11 in Bara district, and one each in Kathmandu and Kavre districts – reported english.khabarhub.com Jan 7. It said the quake also caused damage to houses in multiple districts, including Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu in each of which one was completely destroyed.
The AFP said the earthquake, which the US Geological Survey has put at 7.1 magnitude, was felt in Bangladesh too, although it did not give details.
The Reuters report also said the earthquake also hit Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, and the northern Indian state of Bihar which borders Nepal.
In India, the PTI news agency Jan 7 cited the Bihar Disaster Management Department as saying tremors were felt in Patna, Madhubani, Sheohar, Munger, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Katihar, Darbhanga, West Champaran, East Champaran and several other districts along the state’s India-Nepal border.
It said people in Katihar, Purnea, Sheohar, Darbhanga and Samastipur also came out on the streets when the quake took them.