At least 95 reported killed as powerful earthquake hits Tibet

Chinese officials report that a strong earthquake has killed at least 95 people in Tibet and left many others injured and trapped, Al Jazeera reports. 

The official Xinhua News Agency, citing the regional disaster relief headquarters, reported that 130 people were injured on the Tibetan in the quake on Tuesday, as dozens of aftershocks shook the region of western China and the neighbouring state of Nepal. Earlier, Xinhua reported 53 people had been killed and 62 injured.

Some 1,500 firefighters and rescue workers were deployed to search for people in the rubble, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

The quake struck at 9:05am local time (01:05 GMT) at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center, which recorded a magnitude of 6.8. However, the United States Geological Survey measured its magnitude as 7.1.

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake is considered strong and capable of causing severe damage. Multiple aftershocks were also reported, with the strongest measuring a magnitude of 4.4.

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.

Xinhua reported that at least nine people were killed in three townships – Changsuo, Quluo and Cuoguo – in Shigatse’s surrounding Tingri county, where many buildings had collapsed, and local media report that dozens of people died.

Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said images from the affected areas showed many collapsed buildings and homes.

“These are very remote villages in mountainous areas that are difficult to access and that difficulty will be increased by the fact that it is winter now, very cold and not very close to any major city,” Yu said.

She said the death toll was likely to rise.

The Reuters news agency said crumbled shop fronts could be seen in a video showing the aftermath in Lhatse, about 150km (93 miles) east of Shigatse city, with debris spilling onto the road.

Shigatse is one of Tibet’s holiest cities and the seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Powerful tremors were also felt in northern India’s Bihar state and Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, some 400km (248 miles) away, where residents reportedly ran from their houses as buildings shook.

Areas around Lobuche in Nepal’s Himalayan region near Mount Everest were also rattled by the tremors and aftershocks.

“It shook quite strongly here, everyone is awake, but we don’t know about any damages yet,” said Jagat Prasad Bhusal, a government official in Nepal’s Namche region, which lies near Everest.

There have been no reports of casualties in Nepal so far. However, police and other security forces have been mobilised to collect information on the impact of the quake, a local official told Reuters.

Nepal and southwestern parts of China have been hit frequently by earthquakes.

According to Chinese broadcaster CCTV, there have been 29 earthquakes with magnitudes of 3 or higher within 200km (124 miles) of the Shigatse quake epicentre in the past five years, all of which were smaller than the most recent.