Toll rises to 126 as massive earthquake hits Tibet, over 180 injured

Quake also rattles Nepal and damaged buildings; several places in Bihar too jolted, but there was no loss of life nor any damage to property

Beijing: A massive earthquake struck near one of holiest cities in southern Tibet on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people and injuring 188 with tremors forcing people to rush out to the streets also in parts of Nepal and India.

China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC) said the quake was of 6.8 magnitude while the US Geological Service (USGS) put it at 7.1 magnitude. The quake jolted Dingri county in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) at 9:05 am (Beijing Time), with the epicentre located in Tsogo township, Dingri county, in the city of Xigaze.

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Xigaze is located 90 km north-east of Lobutse in the Khumbu Himalayan range in northeast Nepal, and is the last border town of Tibet not far from the Nepal-Tibet-Indian tri-junction touching Sikkim. Xigaze, also Shigaste, is the seat of Panchen Lama, the second most influential Buddhist monk after the Dalai Lama.

The CENC said the quake struck at a depth of 10 km. Shallow quakes cause maximum damage, and Tuesday’s quake highlighted the ecologically fragile nature of the Himalayan region prone for volatile seismic activity.

The quake also rattled Nepal and damaged buildings. However, there was no loss of life there. Several places in Bihar too were jolted, but there was no loss of life nor any damage to property.

Footage shown by state-run Chinese TV showed people, including children, being pulled out from the rubble and being carried by stretchers to make shift medical camps. The Tsogo township, where the epicentre was located, has a population of approximately 6,900 people within a 20-km radius. There are sparsely populated 27 villages within this area while the Dingri County has a population of over 61,000 people, official data shows.

The Dingri county lies on the northern slope of the Himalayas in southern Tibet. With an average altitude of 4,500 metres, it is home to the northern base camp of Mt Everest, referred in Tibet as Mount Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak. More than 3,400 rescuers and over 340 medical workers were sent to the quake-hit area, officials announced at a press conference after the earthquake.

By midnight Beijing time, 126 people were confirmed dead and 188 injured, state-run news agency Xinhua said quoting officials. The toll was expected to go up as rescue efforts gathered momentum, officials said. China has announced the closure of the tourist places near its side of Mt Everest even when the tourists and the staff of the many resorts in the area were reported to be safe.