Many people have died after an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude struck the Himalayas on Tuesday morning.
Chinese state media reported at least nine deaths near the city of Shigatse in Tibet, and the tremors were also felt in neighboring Nepal and India.
“A reporter from the Tibet Autonomous Region Earthquake Bureau learned that people have been killed,” Xinhua news agency said, listing Changsuo, Qiluo and Kuoguo townships in Dingri county.
The quake, which struck at 9:05 a.m. local time, was epicentered at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), but its magnitude was downgraded from an earlier estimate of 6.9, the report said.
“Very strong tremors struck Dingri County and surrounding areas, and many buildings near the epicenter collapsed,” state broadcaster CCTV said.
Video footage seen by Reuters news agency showed damaged buildings and collapsed shops in the major cities of Shigatse and Lhatse, with debris littering the streets.
A holy city, Shigatse is the home of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.
Tremors felt in Nepal, India
The tremors were felt in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, about 400 km (250 mi) away, where residents ran out of their homes.
“We felt a very strong earthquake but so far we have not received any reports of injuries or physical damage,” said Anoj Raj Ghimire, chief district officer of Solukhumbu district in Nepal.
“We have deployed police and other security forces as well as local people to collect information about the damage,” he said.
Tremors were also felt in the northern Indian state of Bihar, but officials reported no signs of damage.
Earthquakes are common in the mountainous Himalayan region, but Tuesday’s earthquake was the most powerful recorded within a radius of 200 kilometers in the past five years, according to the China Earthquake Network Center (CENC).
Many more to follow…
zc/mf (AFP, Reuters, AP)
