Strong earthquake in Tibet: over 120 dead and hundreds injured

Shocks of up to 7.1 magnitude felt throughout the Himalayan region. Extensive damage and relief efforts underway

A devastating earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet on Tuesday, 7 January 2025, killing more than 120 people. The tremors, with a magnitude between 6.8 and 7.1, were felt not only in Tibet, but also in Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India.

According to the China News Service news agency, at least 126 people lost their lives, while 188 were injured. Local authorities reported extensive damage, with about 3,000 houses damaged or collapsed, mainly in small villages near the epicentre. Dingri County, in Xigaze Prefecture, was the hardest hit by the earthquake, which had a depth of 10 kilometres.

The tremors had repercussions as far as the Everest base camp, shaking the Himalayan mountains. Authorities have estimated that around 6,900 people live in the area affected by the quake, many of whom have already been evacuated. Rescue operations continue unabated, with the population on high alert for the numerous aftershocks.

This region is particularly prone to earthquakes, given the collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a phenomenon that has already caused catastrophic seismic events in the past. Among the most notorious were the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, which killed 70,000 people, and the Kathmandu earthquake in Nepal in 2015, which caused around 9,000 deaths.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)