BEIJING/KATHMANDU, Jan 7 (Reuters)- A powerful earthquake struck the foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people and flattening hundreds of houses, Chinese authorities reported.
The 6.8-magnitude quake’s epicenter was approximately 80 km (50 miles) north of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. Tremors shook buildings in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan, and India.
The impact was widespread across the Shigatse region of Tibet, home to 800,000 residents and administered from Shigatse city, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a prominent figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Many homes in Shigatse city were reduced to rubble, as shown in video footage released by Tibet Fire and Rescue. Rescue workers were seen pulling injured individuals from the debris.
Exacerbating the plight of the newly homeless, temperatures in the region fell to minus 6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday night, with forecasts predicting a drop as low as minus 16 degrees Celsius (3 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight. The China Earthquake Networks Centre located the epicenter in Tingri county, the northern gateway to the Everest region, at a depth of 10 km. The U.S. Geological Service recorded the quake’s magnitude at 7.1, occurring at 9:05 a.m. (0105 GMT).
At least 126 fatalities and 188 injuries were reported on the Tibetan side, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. No deaths were reported elsewhere. State television CCTV broadcast footage of rescuers performing CPR on injured persons and soldiers setting up temporary shelters.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader who fled to India along with thousands of Tibetans in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule, expressed his deep sadness. “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 Nobel peace laureate said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out search and rescue efforts to minimize casualties and to resettle affected people. Beijing, which administers Tibet as an autonomous region within China, rejects accusations from rights groups and exiles of trampling on the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.
China closed the Everest region to tourists following the quake, Xinhua reported. Mount Everest is a popular destination for climbers and trekkers, but winter is not a prime season for these activities in Nepal.
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