Topline
At least 53 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck near one of Tibet’s holiest cities on Tuesday morning—with multiple aftershocks being reported in other parts of Western China and neighboring Nepal—Chinese state media reported.
Cracks appear on the wall of a house hit by a power earthquake in Dingri County’s Shigatse.
Key Facts
According to the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency, at least 62 people were injured by the quake and emergency rescue teams are searching for others who may be trapped under the rubble.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.1 magnitude with a shallow depth of 6.2 miles while Chinese authorities recorded the temblor at 6.8 magnitude.
The quake’s epicenter was located near Shigatse, one of Tibet’s holiest cities and the traditional home of the Panchen Lama, the second most powerful figure in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama.
According to Xinhua, the earthquake damaged more than 1,000 homes, including some that were “reduced to rubble.”
The area around the epicenter is home to around 6,900 people and is located at an elevation of 13,800 feet—with temperatures on Tuesday dropping well below freezing.
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Tangent
The epicenter of Tuesday’s earthquake was located around 50 miles northeast of Mount Everest—the tallest mountain peak in the world. While the impact of the quake near the peak is unclear, Reuters reported only a single German climber had an active permit to climb the peak presently, as winter is not a popular season for hiking up Everest. The climber had already left Everest base camp after a failed attempt to summit the mountain. In 2015, when a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal and killed thousands, it also triggered an avalanche that killed 24 people at the base camp.
