Tibet, January 7:
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck the Nepal-Tibet border region early on Tuesday morning, resulting in at least 53 deaths and 62 injuries, according to reports.
The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) confirmed that the earthquake occurred at 6:35 AM (IST), with its epicentre located at latitude 28.86°N and longitude 87.51°E, at a depth of 10 kilometres. The epicentre was identified in the Tibet Autonomous Region, near Nepal’s border.
Xinhua news agency reported that the highest number of fatalities occurred in the city of Xizang, and the region also saw significant injuries and damage to infrastructure. In Tonglai Village, located in Changsuo Township of Dingri, Xigaze (Shigatse), several houses collapsed, increasing the scale of the devastation.
The earthquake caused tremors that spread across northern India, including Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Delhi-NCR, leading to panic as residents rushed out of their homes. However, no casualties or property damage have been reported from India as of now.
Following the initial earthquake, two aftershocks were recorded. The first, with a magnitude of 4.7, occurred at 7:02 AM (IST), while the second, with a magnitude of 4.9, struck at 7:07 AM (IST). Both aftershocks were centered near the original quake’s epicentre.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) placed the earthquake’s location 93 kilometres northeast of Lobuche, near the Nepal-Tibet border. Lobuche is located about 150 kilometres east of Kathmandu and 8.5 kilometres southwest of Everest Base Camp.
Nepal, which lies in a seismically active zone where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, frequently experiences earthquakes. This ongoing tectonic activity in the Himalayan region is responsible for frequent seismic events of varying intensities.
Authorities in Nepal and the affected Indian regions are continuing to monitor the situation closely, as this earthquake has once again raised concerns in an area historically prone to significant seismic activity.
About The Author
