Massive earthquake shakes Tibet, 95 dead

TIBET: At least 95 people have been killed and dozens injured after a massive earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck Tibet near the Nepalese border on Tuesday morning, according to Chinese state-owned media Xinhua.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported the initial tremor at 6:35 am IST, with a magnitude of 7.1. Two aftershocks followed soon after. The first, measuring 4.7, struck at 7:02 am at a depth of 10 km, while the second, a 4.9-magnitude tremor, hit at 7:07 am at a depth of 30 km.

Local Chinese media reported at least 95 fatalities in and around the city of Shigatse in Tibet, while tremors were felt in neighbouring Nepal and India.

The earthquake’s impact was felt in several parts of India, including Bihar, Assam and West Bengal, triggering panic among residents. Dramatic visuals on social media showed buildings swaying violently and ceilings shaking as the tremors spread.

In Bihar, alarmed residents rushed out of their homes in districts such as Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Bettiah, Munger, Araria, Sitamarhi, Gopalganj, Vaishali, Nawada and Nalanda. The tremors reportedly lasted for around 30 seconds, leading to widespread fear, though no major damage was reported in these areas.

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Video footage seen by the Reuters news agency showed damaged buildings and crumbled shop fronts in the larger towns of Shigatse and Lhatse, with debris spilling out onto roads.

A holy city, Shigatse is the seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Nepal, which shares a border with Tibet, remains highly vulnerable to seismic activity due to its location along the Himalayan fault line, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide. The region has experienced devastating earthquakes in the past, including the 2015 tremor near Kathmandu, which had a magnitude of 7.8. That disaster claimed nearly 9,000 lives, injured thousands and caused widespread destruction.

Delhi-NCR, another earthquake-prone area, frequently experiences tremors due to its proximity to the Himalayas. The region feels seismic activity every few months, often in response to quakes originating in the Himalayan fault zone.

Authorities in China and India are closely monitoring the aftermath of the earthquake. Rescue and relief operations are underway in the affected areas in Tibet, while Indian authorities remain on alert for any secondary impacts in northern and northeastern states.