7.1 Earthquake in Central Western Tibet... Death Toll Rises to 53

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred on the morning of the 7th in the Tibet Autonomous Region (Xizang) in western China. The death toll from this earthquake has risen to 53.

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

A village in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China affected by the earthquake. Photo by Reuters and 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.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that as of 1 p.m. that day, 53 people had died and 62 were injured. Within a 20 km radius of the epicenter, there are three townships and 27 villages with a total population of about 6,900.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued important instructions emphasizing full efforts on search and rescue, treatment of the injured, minimizing casualties, preventing secondary disasters, resettlement of displaced persons, and post-disaster management. He also stressed strengthening earthquake monitoring and early warning, timely distribution of emergency relief supplies, rapid restoration of social infrastructure, and ensuring a safe and warm winter.

The State Council Earthquake Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management of China raised the national earthquake emergency response level from Level 3 to Level 2, and the national disaster alert from Level 4 to Level 3.

Experts from the China Earthquake Networks Center explained that since 1950, there have been a total of 21 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or higher in the Lhasa block, and this earthquake is part of the energy release occurring in the Lhasa block.

The epicenter of this earthquake is located 34 km from Dingjie County, 36 km from Dingri County, 67 km from Lamu County, and 167 km from Shigatse City in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is 379 km away from Lhasa City, the regional capital. The epicenter is situated where the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate collide, causing the uplift of the Himalayas.

According to CCTV, the average elevation within a 5 km radius around the epicenter is approximately 4,259 meters above sea level. According to the China Meteorological Administration, the temperature in Dingri County is expected to drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius that evening.

Aftershocks have continued since the initial earthquake. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, as of noon that day, 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 epicenter.

The earthquake also temporarily closed the climbing routes to Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, because the Chinese base camp is located in Dingri County, the epicenter area.

According to The Guardian, the earthquake was felt in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, 400 km away, causing residents to evacuate their homes.

Vibrations were also felt in Bihar state in northern India, which borders Nepal. Indian authorities reported that no property damage or losses have been reported so far.

Earthquakes are frequent in western China and near 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, killing about 9,000 people and injuring 22,000.