Nepalese residents watch from outside their homes in Kathmandu after feeling the tremors of an earthquake. PHOTO: AP
In Summary:
- A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Tibet and Nepal, killing at least 32 people and injuring 38 others.
- Tremors were felt across Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, but no fatalities have been reported from Nepal so far.
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the mountainous regions of Tibet and Nepal on Tuesday morning, causing widespread damage and claiming at least 32 lives.
The earthquake’s epicenter was in Tibet’s Dingri County, near Xigaze City, at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.
China’s earthquake center reported a slightly lower magnitude of 6.8. The tremors also injured 38 people in Tibet, while there were no confirmed casualties in Nepal.
In Tibet, the town of Lhatse showed crumbled shop fronts and debris scattered on the roads, and reports indicated that several buildings had collapsed in the affected areas, including Changsuo, Quluo, and Cuoguo townships.
In Nepal, people in the capital Kathmandu, located about 400km from the epicenter, fled their homes as tremors were strongly felt.
Wow! Here's another look at the now Upgraded M7.1 #Earthquake from a Khumjung, #Nepal Live Cam moments ago. 🥴 #NepalEarthquake pic.twitter.com/qtVklIJa8e
— LiveCamChaser (@LiveCamChaser) January 7, 2025
“We felt a very strong earthquake. So far we have not received any report of injuries or physical loss,” stated Anoj Raj Ghimire, the chief district officer for Solukhumbu in Nepal.
The government has mobilized security forces to assess damage, though no injuries have been reported from Nepal so far.
The quake was felt in neighboring countries such as India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, prompting people to evacuate buildings.
“We have mobilised police and other security forces as well as locals to collect information about the damage,” Ghimire said in an interview with Reuters.
The region, located at the junction of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, is known for frequent seismic activity, and the Tuesday earthquake was the largest in the area in recent years.
The region has experienced numerous smaller quakes over the past five years, but this event was significantly stronger.
This earthquake adds to the list of significant seismic events in the region, including the devastating 7.8 magnitude quake near Kathmandu in 2015, which resulted in nearly 9,000 deaths, and the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China, which claimed nearly 70,000 lives.
Nepalese residents stand outside their homes in Kathmandu after fleeing due to an earthquake. PHOTO: AP