China earthquake: Over 50 dead as powerful 7.1 magnitude tremor hits Tibet
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At least 52 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet's holiest cities in China early on Tuesday. The quake hit at 9.05am (01.05 GMT), with its epicentre located in Tingri, a rural Chinese county known as the northern gateway to the Everest region, at a depth of 6.2 miles.
![[Aftermath of earthquake in Tibet]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/07/6/36/Aftermath-of-earthquake-in-Tibet-z9cxwtny.jpeg?trim=0,65,0,64&quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
At least 53 people had been killed and 62 injured on the Tibetan side, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Nepal and parts of India. The region is frequently hit by quakes as it lies on a major geological fault line.
The impact of the earthquake was felt across the Shigatse region of Tibet, home to 800,000 people. The region is administered by Shigatse city, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism. The epicentre was around 50 miles north of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said all-out search and rescue efforts would be carried out to minimise casualties and properly resettle the affected people. There are three townships and 27 villages within 12 miles of the epicentre, with a total population of around 6,900, Xinhua reported.
Crumbled shop fronts could be seen in a video on social media showing the aftermath from the town of Lhatse, with debris spilling out onto the road. Tremors were also felt in Nepal's capital Kathmandu some 250 miles away, where residents ran from their houses.
