Ten dead after magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Tibet

At least 53 people have been confirmed dead and 62 injured after a strong earthquake struck the mountainous region of Tibet on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media said.

The earthquake, which struck the holy Tibetan town of Shigatse around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT), had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), according to data from the US Geological Survey, which also showed a series of aftershocks in the area.

Tremors were also felt in neighboring Nepal and parts of India.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which sits on a major geological fault line.

Shigatse is considered one of the holiest cities in Tibet. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure in Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan Gedhun Choekyi Niyima, who was identified as the reincarnated Panchen Lama disappeared from China when he was six years old. Then China elected its own Panchen Lama.

The current Dalai Lama fled Tibet to India in 1959. and has since been seen as an alternative source of power for Tibetans who resent Beijing’s control of the region. Many believe China will also elect its own Dalai Lama when the current one dies.

Videos released by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed destroyed houses and collapsed buildings as rescue workers waded through the debris and distributed thick blankets to locals.

Temperatures in Tingri County, near the epicenter of the quake, are around -8C (17.6F) and will drop to -18 this evening, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Both electricity and water have been cut off in the area.

Located at the foot of Mount Everest, Tingri County is a popular base for climbers preparing to scale the world’s highest peak.

Everest sightseeing tours in Tingri originally planned for Tuesday morning have been cancelled, a tourism team told local media, adding that the sightseeing area has been completely closed.

There were three visitors in the sightseeing area who were all moved outdoors for safety, they said.

Chinese state media said the quake was just below magnitude 6.8, causing “obvious” tremors and resulting in the damage of more than 1000 houses. There are several strong aftershocks.

Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, told CCTV that while another earthquake with a magnitude of around 5 could still occur, “the probability of a larger earthquake is low.”

Since China annexed Tibet in the 1950s, it has maintained tight control over the autonomous region, including its media and Internet access.

A resident of a hotel in Shigatse told Chinese media outlet Fengmian News that he was awakened by a shock wave. He said he grabbed his socks and ran out into the street, where he saw helicopters circling overhead.

“It felt like even the bed was being lifted,” he said, adding that he immediately knew it was an earthquake, as Tibet has recently experienced numerous smaller tremors.

The Chinese Air Force launched rescue operations and drones to the affected area.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also called for a comprehensive search and rescue effort to minimize casualties and resettle affected residents.

Although tremors were felt in Nepal, there were no reports of damage or casualties, a local official in Nepal’s Namche district, near Mount Everest, told AFP.

The area that is nearby a major fault line of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, is home to frequent seismic activity. In 2015 A 7.8-magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured more than 20,000.