(TibetanReview.net, Nov25, 2015) – China said Nov 24 that a 5.2-magnitude earthquake which hit the Qilian (Tibetan: Chilen, or Dola) County of Haibei (Tsojang) Prefecture, Qinghai Province, on Nov 23 morning did not affect the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. However, people in some stations along the line said they felt obvious tremors, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency, suggesting that the world’s highest railway is not immune from this form of natural disaster to which the area is prone.
Though people in some stations along the line said they felt obvious tremors, the railway is operating normally, the report cited sources with the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company as saying.
Though no casualties were reported, 14 households sustained cracks in their walls while 46 residents had to be relocated, the report cited the county government as saying.
The quake was reported to have struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, with the epicentre being at 38.0 degrees north latitude and 100.4 degrees east longitude.
The 1,956-km Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which opened in Jul 2006, is the first railway line connecting the Tibet Autonomous Region part of Tibet with China.