Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake in Tibet, China... 32 Dead

49 Aftershocks Continued Until 12 O'clock
Vibrations Felt in Nepal and India, Evacuations Ordered

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred on the morning of the 7th in the Tibet Autonomous Region of Xizang, near the western China-Nepal border. As of that morning, 32 people were confirmed dead due to the earthquake.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, at 9:05 a.m. local time, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Dingri County in Lhokha City, the second largest city in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The focal depth was 10 km.

Dingri County, Xizang Tibet Autonomous Region, Western China. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced that at around 9:05 a.m., a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in the Chinese region located 93 km northeast of Lobuche in the Nepal Himalayas. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also reported a magnitude 7.0 earthquake at the same time, 99 km north-northeast of Lobuche and 202 km northwest of Darjeeling, India.

According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, as of 11:50 a.m. that day, 32 deaths and 38 injuries were confirmed, and thousands of houses were damaged.

The epicenter of this earthquake was located 34 km from Dingjie County, 36 km from Dingri County, 67 km from Lhamu County, and 167 km from Lhokha City in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is 379 km away from Lhasa, the provincial capital. The epicenter lies where the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate collide, causing the uplift of the Himalayas. According to China Central Television (CCTV), the average elevation within a 5 km radius around the epicenter is approximately 4,259 meters above sea level.

Aftershocks have continued since the initial quake. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, as of 12:00 p.m., a total of 49 aftershocks were recorded: three between magnitude 4.0 and 4.9, thirteen between 3.0 and 3.9, and thirty-three below 3.0. The largest aftershock was magnitude 4.4, occurring about 18 km from the main earthquake's epicenter.

According to The Guardian, the earthquake was felt in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, located 400 km away, prompting residents to evacuate their homes. Tremors were also felt in Bihar state in northern India, which borders Nepal. Indian authorities stated that no reports of property damage or losses have been received so far.

Earthquakes are frequent near western China and the Nepal Himalayas. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China caused about 70,000 deaths. In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck near Kathmandu, Nepal, resulting in approximately 9,000 deaths and thousands of injuries.