Scores dead in Shigatse as magnitude 7.1 quake hits

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a major earthquake killed dozens of people and damaged more than 1,000 buildings in a remote region of Tibet, near Everest.

At least 95 people were killed, with another 130 injured, after the earthquake hit the foothills of the Himalayas at around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Tuesday, according to Chinese state media.

A large-scale rescue operation was launched, with survivors under additional pressure as temperatures were predicted to fall as low as -16C (3.2F) overnight.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line, but Tuesday’s was one of China’s deadliest in recent years.

The magnitude 7.1 quake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to data from the US Geological Survey, was also felt in Nepal and parts of India, which neighbour Tibet.

Videos published by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed destroyed houses and collapsed buildings in Tibet’s holy Shigatse city, with rescue workers wading through debris and handing out thick blankets to locals.

Temperatures in Tingri county, near the earthquake’s epicentre in the northern foothills of the Himalayas, were already as low as -8C (17.6F) before night fell, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Sangji Dangzhi – whose supermarket was damaged in the earthquake – said the damage to homes had been extensive.

“Here the houses are made from dirt so when the earthquake came… lots of houses collapsed,” the 34-year-old told news agency AFP by phone, adding that ambulances had been taking people to hospital through out the day.

A hotel resident in Shigatse told Chinese media outlet Fengmian News that he was jolted awake by a wave of shaking. He said he grabbed his socks and rushed out onto the street, where he saw helicopters circling above.

“It felt like even the bed was being lifted,” he said, adding that he immediately knew it was an earthquake because Tibet recently experienced multiple smaller quakes.

Both power and water in the region have been disrupted. There were more than 40 aftershocks in the first few hours following the quake.

Chinese state media reported the earthquake as having a slightly lesser magnitude of 6.8, causing “obvious” tremors and leading to the damage of more than 1,000 houses.

Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, told CCTV that while another earthquake of around magnitude 5 may still occur, “the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low”.

Sitting at the foot of Mount Everest, which separates Nepal and China, Tingri county is a popular base for climbers preparing to ascend the world’s tallest peak.

Everest sightseeing tours in Tingri, originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, have been cancelled, a tourism staff member told local media, adding that the sightseeing area had been fully closed.

There were three visitors in the sightseeing area who had all been moved to an outdoor area for safety, they said.

Shigatse region, home to 800,000 people, is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

The exiled spiritual leader said he had been deeply saddened by news of the quake.

“I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement.

The current Dalai Lama fled Tibet to India in 1959 after China annexed the region, and has since been seen as an alternative source of power for Tibetans who resent Beijing’s control – which extends to local media and internet access. Many believe China will also choose its own Dalai Lama when the current one dies.

Tibetan Gedhun Choekyi Niyima who was identified as the reincarnated Panchen Lama was disappeared by China when he was six years old. China then chose its own Panchen Lama.

The Chinese air force has launched rescue efforts and drones to the affected area.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has also called for all-out search and rescue efforts to minimise casualties and resettle affected residents.

While strong tremors were felt in Nepal, no major damage or casualties were reported, an official from the National Emergency Operations Centre told BBC Newsday – only “minor damages and cracks on houses”.

The region, which lies near a major fault line of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, is home to frequent seismic activity.

In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured more than 20,000.

The tremors on Tuesday morning, which sent many Kathmandu residents running out of their houses, brought back memories of that deadly disaster.

“In 2015, when the earthquake hit, I could not even move,” Manju Neupane, a shop owner in Kathmandu, told BBC Nepali. “Today the situation was not scary like that. But, I am scared that another major earthquake may hit us and we will be trapped between tall buildings.”