A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck Tibet near the Nepalese border today, resulting in the deaths of 53 people and injuring 62 others, according to Chinese state media outlet Xinhua. The earthquake occurred at 9:05 am local time in Dingri County, part of the city of Xigaze in the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region.
The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) recorded the earthquake at 6:35 am IST. Shortly after the initial quake, two aftershocks were reported in the region. The first, a 4.7-magnitude tremor, struck at 7:02 am at a depth of 10 kilometers, followed by a 4.9-magnitude tremor at 7:07 am at a depth of 30 kilometers.
The tremors were felt across several Indian states, including Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal. In Bihar, residents evacuated their homes and apartments, gathering outdoors in alarm. Fortunately, there have been no reports of property damage in India.
This seismic event evokes memories of the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake, which measured 7.8 in magnitude. That disaster claimed nearly 9,000 lives, left over 22,000 injured, and destroyed more than half a million homes, underscoring the potential severity of earthquakes in the region.
(Reports collected from various sources. Pic National Center for Seismology
