A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 magnitude shook the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s sacred cities on Tuesday, according to Chinese authorities. The quake caused at least 53 deaths, injured 62 people, and shook buildings in Nepal, Bhutan, and India.
The earthquake struck at 9:05 a.m. (local time) with its epicenter in Tingri, a rural area in China near Mount Everest, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), as reported by the China Earthquake Networks Centre. However, the U.S. Geological Service estimated the quake’s magnitude to be 7.1.
China’s state news agency, Xinhua, confirmed 53 fatalities and 62 injuries in Tibet. This region, along with southwestern China, Nepal, and northern India, often experiences earthquakes due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. A major earthquake in 2015, with a magnitude of 7.8, devastated Nepal, killing around 9,000 people and injuring thousands more. That disaster also triggered an avalanche at Mount Everest, which killed 18 people at the base camp.
Tuesday’s earthquake occurred about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Mount Everest, a popular spot for climbers and trekkers. Since winter is not a peak season for climbing in Nepal, there was only one German climber with a permit to scale Everest. He had already left the base camp after an unsuccessful attempt to reach the summit, according to Lilathar Awasthi, an official from Nepal’s Department of Tourism.
In Nepal, the tremors were felt in seven hill districts bordering Tibet. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) stated that no loss of life or property had been reported so far, but police and local authorities were gathering information. Many villages near the border are remote and can only be accessed on foot.
The quake also caused damage in Tibet’s Shigatse region, home to about 800,000 people. This region, administered by Shigatse city, holds cultural importance as the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for thorough search-and-rescue efforts to minimize casualties and ensure that affected residents are safe and warm during the winter.
In Tingri, villages reported intense shaking, followed by numerous aftershocks, some as strong as magnitude 4.4. Videos shared online showed collapsed shopfronts and debris in the town of Lhatse. Officials are working with nearby towns to assess the damage and search for casualties.
Tremors were also felt in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, located 400 kilometers (250 miles) away, causing people to rush out of their homes. The quake was felt in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, and in India’s Bihar state, which borders Nepal. Officials in India reported no damage or casualties.
