Tibet – At least 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Tibet region in China Tuesday Morning.
Chinese state media reports that the earthquake hit Tibet’s holy Shigatse city around 9:00 local time.
The deadly earthquake had a focal depth of 10 km according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which also revealed a series of aftershocks in the area.
Shigatse is located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest, where tourists have been moved to safer areas.
Tours to the area have cancelled.
This area’s governance seat is held by the Tibetan Buddhist leader Panchen Lama, who is second to the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama said in a statement that he was “saddened” to learn of the deadly earthquake.
Tuesday’s earthquake is one of the deadliest China has seen in recent years.
Tremors were felt at the border of Nepal, Bhutan and India, but no major damage or casualties were reported.
“The region near the India and Eurasia plate boundary has a history of large earthquakes,” the USGS said in a summary of the quake.
“In the past century, there have been 10 earthquakes of magnitude 6 and greater within 250 km of the 7 January 2025, earthquake.”
Yet, videos published by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed houses destroyed with walls torn apart.
More than a thousand houses have been damaged, Xinhua reported earlier.
The Chinese Air Force has launched rescue efforts and drones to the affected area and deployed over 1 500 rescue workers.
The Chinese President Xi Jinping has also called for all-out search and rescue efforts to minimise casualties and resettle affected residents.
Xinhua said: “Local authorities are reaching out to various townships in the county to assess the impact of the quake”.
The China Meteorological Administration forecast that the mercury will drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius by Tuesday evening.
