Tibet earthquake: Nine dead as 7.1-magnitude quake felt in Nepal and India
Share:
Strong tremors felt in northern India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous region in Tibet and neighbouring Nepal on Tuesday morning, damaging buildings and reportedly killing at least nine people. The earthquake was centred in the Tibet region at a depth of about 10km, the US Geological Survey reported. China's earthquake centre had placed the magnitude at 6.8.
Crumbled shop fronts could be seen in a video showing the aftermath from the nearby town of Lhatse, with debris spilling out onto the road. "It shook quite strongly here, everyone is awake, but we don't know about any damages yet," government official Jagat Prasad Bhusal in Nepal's Namche region told AFP.
Chinese media reported that "people have been killed" in the earthquake, whose tremors were felt in India, Bhutan and Bangladesh. "A reporter learned from the Tibet Autonomous Region earthquake bureau that people have been killed, involving three townships including Changsuo township, Quluo township, and Cuoguo township in Dingri County," Chinese state media Xinhua news agency reported. It added many buildings had collapsed in Dingri County following the quake.
Tremors were felt in Nepal's capital Kathmandu some 400km away from the epicenter, where residents ran from their houses. “We felt a very strong earthquake. So far we have not received any report of injuries or physical loss,” said Anoj Raj Ghimire, chief district officer of Solukhumbu district in Nepal.
