At least 120 people have been reported dead after a powerful earthquake in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Tremors were also felt in Nepal and India.

More than 120 people have been killed after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck in the Himalayas on Tuesday morning, while almost 200 more were injured in the natural disaster.

Local Chinese media reported at least 126 fatalities in and around the city of Shigatse in Tibet, while tremors were felt in neighboring Nepal and India.

“A reporter learned from the Tibet Autonomous Region earthquake bureau that people have been killed,” the Xinhua state news agency said, listing the Changsuo, Quluo and Cuoguo townships in Dingri County.

“A total of 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured,” the agency added later.

The death toll later increase to at least 126, while as many as 188 were injured, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported, though the number of deaths may yet increase further as some of those wounded are in a serious condition and others remain missing.

Where was the Tibet earthquake epicenter?

The quake struck at 9:05 a.m. local time (0105 UTC/GMT) and had an epicenter depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Xinhua revised the magnitude down from an earlier estimation of 6.9.

The US Geological Survey reported the tremor as magnitude 7.1.

The epicenter was about 75 kilometers northeast of Mount Everest, which straddles the China-Nepal border.

Aftershocks reported

By 10 a.m., “multiple aftershocks” had been recorded, the largest measuring 4.4 in magnitude, added Xinhua’s reporter.

“Dingri county and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors, and many buildings near the epicenter have collapsed,” state broadcaster CCTV said.

Around 1,500 emergency workers were already on hand to search for victims and survivors in the rubble, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

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

A holy city, Xigaze 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.

Tremors felt in Nepal and India

Tremors were felt in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu some 400 kilometers (250 miles) away, where residents ran from their houses.

Nepali people gathered outside of their homes after the earthquake was felt as far as Kathmandu
© Sunil Sharma/ZUMA Press Wire/picture alliance

“We felt a very strong earthquake but so far we have not received any report of injuries or physical loss,” said Anoj Raj Ghimire, chief district officer of Solukhumbu district in Nepal.

“We have mobilized police and other security forces as well as locals to collect information about the damage,” he added.

Shudders were also felt in the northern Indian state of Bihar, but officials reported no signs of damage.

Why is the region prone to earthquakes?

The area is seismically active and is located where the India and Eurasia plates clash, causing uplifts in the Himalayan mountains that can change or even form some of the tallest peaks in the world.

While earthquakes are common in the mountainous region, Tuesday’s quake was the most powerful recorded within a 200-kilometer radius in the last five years, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

A 7.8-magnitude quake killed some 9,000 people and in Nepal in 2015.

jsi,mf/zc,kb (AFP, Reuters, AP)