At least 95 dead as massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes near Everest and collapses buildings in Tibet
A terrible earthquake tore through one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 95 people.
The 7.1 magnitude earthquake caused chaos in portions of Nepal and India, demolished numerous structures in Shigatse, and injured 130 people.
Rescue workers are frantically searching for survivors after the earthquake left hundreds missing, the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC) has said.
Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world at 29,000 feet, was also shaken, but it is believed that no one was hurt.
A spokeswoman said in a statement earlier today that a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri County in the city of Xigaze in the Xizang Autonomous Region at 9.05 am on Tuesday has confirmed 53 deaths and injured 62 more as of Tuesday midday.
The US Geological Survey (USGC) recorded the tremor’s magnitude as 7.1 hours later.
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Data indicated that the earthquake was six miles deep, they claimed.
The moment the deadly earthquakes began to tremble the Tibetan city and Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, is captured in terrifying video.
Chinese official media reported that a security camera was shaken as the earthquake ripped through Tibet, leaving 1,000 dwellings in ruins.
Pictures reveal that numerous buildings in the area have collapsed, with walls toppled and vehicles damaged by the falling debris.
While teams continue their searches, the streets are littered with broken bricks.
Xi Jinping, the president of China, directed his teams to assist in the search for survivors and in finding new homes for the impacted inhabitants.
The Chinese air force is even searching the debris near the base of Mount Everest, which is about 50 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, with specialized drones.
The tallest mountain in the world experienced earthquakes up to 4.5 magnitude, according to USGC data.
Whether any climbers were on Everest at the time and whether they were safely retrieved are unknown.
China’s worst ever earthquakes
-
May 2008:
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake leaves nearly 90,000 people dead or missing and presumed dead in the Sichuan province -
April 2010:
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake kills 2,698 people in Qinghai province -
April 2013:
Three years later a magnitude 7.0 earthquake kills 196 people in Sichuan -
July 2013:
Another 95 died just a few months on after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake rocked Gansu province -
August 2014:
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake kills 617 people in Yunnan province -
September 2022:
An earthquake wipes out 93 people in Sichuan after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake -
December 2023:
A magnitude 6.2 quake kills 126 people in Gansu and Qinghai provinces -
January 2025:
At least 95 dead as massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake collapses buildings in Tibet
Rescue efforts are challenging because many of the tremor-affected villages in the Nepalese border region are very difficult to reach.
These regions are frequently sparsely populated and so far away that only foot travel is possible, and supplies are scarce.
Tens of thousands of inhabitants are without electricity and water, and temperatures are well below freezing.
Because of its rich history and customs, Shigatse is considered by many to be one of Tibet’s holiest cities.
The Panchen Lam, a pivotal person in Tibetan Buddhism and the second most powerful spiritual leader after the Dalai Lama, resides there.
Jiang Haikun, a CENC researcher, issued a warning that another earthquake of magnitude 5 might occur in the next several hours.
However, “the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low,” he noted.
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Because Nepal is situated between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, it is especially vulnerable to earthquakes.
However, according to the CENC, today’s earthquake is the strongest to be recorded within a 200-kilometer radius in the previous five years.
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