A powerful earthquake in China has claimed the lives of at least 53 people, with many others injured, as reported by state media.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, with its epicenter in the Tibet region.
The quake struck a mountainous region in the Tibet Autonomous Region, close to the Nepalese border, shortly after 9:05 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre. Rescue and relief efforts are underway in the affected areas.
Several aftershocks were reported in the region, including in Nepal.
The nearest city to the epicenter, Shigatse, has a population of 640,000. In Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, residents evacuated buildings as the tremors were felt.
The region, located in the Himalayan mountain range, is prone to seismic activity. The 2015 Nepal earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8, killed nearly 9,000 people.
Senior seismologist Lok Bijaya Adhikari from Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center said, “Based on the magnitude of the earthquake, there could be some damages in mountains of eastern Nepal.”
While many people from Nepal’s high mountain regions have migrated to lower areas for the winter, some remain in places like Everest, Makalu, Rolwaling, and Kanchenjunga.
Former Nepal Mountaineering Association chief Ang Tshering Sherpa warned, “There’s always risk of avalanche and glacial lake outburst floods after earthquakes.”
