A powerful earthquake struck a mountainous region in western China near Nepal on Tuesday morning, resulting in at least nine fatalities, according to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management. State broadcaster CCTV confirmed the death toll but did not provide details on the circumstances of the deaths. The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake’s magnitude at 7.1, with an epicenter in the Tibet region at a depth of 10 kilometers, while China’s monitoring agency reported a slightly lower magnitude of 6.8.
The epicenter lies along the collision zone of the India and Eurasia tectonic plates, a region known for its significant seismic activity and responsible for the uplift of the Himalayan mountains. The area around the epicenter, with an average altitude of 4,200 meters, includes several communities within a 5-kilometer radius. It is situated approximately 380 kilometers from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and 23 kilometers from Xigaze, the region’s second-largest city. In Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, residents rushed outdoors in panic as the tremors jolted them awake.
The region has a history of seismic activity, with the USGS recording 10 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater in the past century. While no immediate reports emerged from the remote areas near the epicenter, the quake highlighted the vulnerability of this tectonically active zone. The event caused significant alarm on both sides of the border, emphasizing the region’s ongoing susceptibility to large-scale earthquakes.
Post Your Comments