95 killed as 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits Tibet; tremors felt in parts of India, Nepal

Kathmandu: A magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocked the northern foothills of the Himalayas near the city of Xigaze in Tibet Autonomous Region in China on Tuesday, killing at least 95 people and injuring 130 and shaking buildings in neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India.

The quake hit at 9.05 am, with its epicentre located in Tingri, a rural county known as the northern gateway to the Everest region, at a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

The impact of the temblor was felt across the region of 800,000 people, which is administered by Shigatse, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism.

Villages in Tingri reported strong shaking during the quake, which was followed by numerous aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 4.4. Crumbled shop fronts could be seen in a video on social media showing the aftermath from the nearby town of Lhatse, with debris spilling out onto the road.

Reuters was able to confirm the location from nearby buildings, windows, road layout, and signage that match satellite and street view imagery. A magnitude 6.8 quake is considered strong and is capable of causing severe damage.

Local government officials were liaising with nearby towns to gauge the impact of the quake and check for casualties, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Tremors were also felt in Nepal's capital Kathmandu some 400 km away, where residents ran from their houses.

"We felt a very strong earthquake. So far we have not received any report of injuries or physical loss," said Anoj Raj Ghimire, chief district officer of Solukhumbu district in Nepal, at the foot of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.

"We have mobilised police and other security forces as well as locals to collect information about the damage," he added. The quake also jolted Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, and in the northern Indian state of Bihar which borders Nepal.

The tremors were also experienced across various regions of India, including Bihar and Assam. So far, no reports of any damage or loss to property have been received, officials in India said. Southwestern parts of China, Nepal and Northern India are frequently hit by earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.