Significant earthquake strikes China, resulting in 53 deaths and numerous injuries

07 January 2025 , 07:26

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Significant earthquake strikes China, resulting in 53 deaths and numerous injuries

At least 53 people have been killed and dozens more have been injured after a major earthquake in China this morning.

The 6.8 magnitude quake struck in a mountainous area in the Tibet region, near the border with Nepal, at a depth of about six miles. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 7.1.

Its epicentre was around 50 miles northeast of Mount Everest, which straddles the border.

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported at least 53 people had been killed and 62 injured on the Tibetan side.

Southwestern parts of China, Nepal and northern India are frequently hit by earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

A magnitude 7.8 tremor struck near Kathmandu in 2015, killing 9,000 people and injuring thousands more in Nepal’s worst ever earthquake.

Included among the dead were at least 18 people killed at the Mount Everest base camp when it was smashed by an avalanche.

The impact of the temblor was felt across the Shigatse region of Tibet, home to 800,000 people.

The region is administered by Shigatse city, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said all-out search and rescue efforts should be carried out to minimise casualties, properly resettle the affected people, and ensure a safe and warm winter.

Villages in Tingri reported strong shaking during the quake, which was followed by dozens of aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 4.4.

Crumbled shop fronts could be seen in a video on social media showing the aftermath from the town of Lhatse, with debris spilling out onto the road.

There are three townships and 27 villages within (12 miles of the epicentre, with a total population of around 6,900, Xinhua reported.

Local government officials were liaising with nearby towns to gauge the impact of the quake and check for casualties, it added.

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

The quake also jolted Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, and the northern Indian state of Bihar which borders Nepal.

So far, no reports of any damage or loss to property have been received, officials in India said.

Emma Davis