A series of six earthquakes struck the mountainous region of Shigatse near the Nepal border on Tuesday morning, one of which was a significant 7.1 magnitude quake on the Richter scale. According to news agency Reuters, the earthquakes resulted in substantial damage and about 95 deaths in Tibet. The tremors caused significant destruction in the city of Shigatse, damaging several buildings and infrastructure on a large scale.
China's state news agency Xinhua reported that a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Dingri County of Tibet’s Xizang Autonomous Region resulted in 95 fatalities and over 130 injuries. Tremors were also felt in parts of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. Strong tremors shook Sikkim, other northeastern states, Bihar, West Bengal, and various parts of North India on Tuesday morning. After experiencing strong tremors in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, residents fled their homes and rushed towards streets and open spaces.
Chinese media indicated that numerous buildings near the quake's epicenter collapsed. China’s public broadcaster CCTV reported, ‘Dingri County and its surrounding areas experienced strong tremors, leading to the collapse of several buildings near the epicenter.’ After powerful shocks were felt in Kathmandu, Nepalese capital, residents rushed out of their homes. Kathmandu resident Meera Adhikari told news agency ANI, 'I was asleep when I felt the bed shaking. Initially, I thought my child was shaking the bed, but the moving windows made me realize it was a strong earthquake. I hurriedly took my child and ran out into the open ground.'
According to the National Center for Seismology, the first 7.1 magnitude quake occurred at 6:35 a.m. local time near the Nepal-Tibet border, Xizang region. Such a magnitude is considered powerful enough to cause severe damage. Chinese authorities recorded the earthquake's intensity as 6.8 in Tibet's second-largest city, Shigatse. Five more tremors, with magnitudes recorded at 4.7 and 4.9, struck the same Xizang area within an hour. The earthquake's epicenter was located where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide.
This tectonic collision is responsible for the formation of the Himalayan Mountains. Such powerful impacts can alter the elevation of some of the world's highest peaks in the Himalayan range. According to CCTV, 29 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3 or greater have occurred within a 200 km range of Shigatse in the past five years. Nonetheless, these prior quakes were less powerful than the ones that occurred on Tuesday morning. The epicenter of the 7.1 magnitude quake was located at 28.5°N latitude and 87.45°E longitude, about 10 kilometers beneath the earth’s surface.
6:35 AM:
The first major earthquake strikes with a magnitude of 7.1.
6:45 AM:
Residents in Kathmandu experience tremors, leading to mass evacuations.
7:00 AM:
Further tremors of magnitudes 4.7 and 4.9 shake the region.
7:20 AM:
Reports indicate significant damage and casualties in Shigatse.
