Deadly Earthquake in China’s Tibet Region Kills At Least 53

• In the town of Lhatse, images geolocated by AFP revealed debris scattered outside eateries
  

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A powerful earthquake struck China’s remote Tibet region on Tuesday, killing at least 53 people and collapsing numerous buildings, state media reported. The tremor, which also shook neighbouring Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India, left significant destruction in its wake.

Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed extensive damage, with walls torn apart and houses destroyed. Rescue workers were seen navigating rubble-strewn streets, providing blankets to keep survivors warm amidst freezing temperatures.

Surveillance video captured the chaos as shelves in a store shook violently, sending items tumbling to the floor. In the town of Lhatse, images geolocated by AFP revealed debris scattered outside eateries.

The earthquake, recorded at a magnitude of 6.8 by the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) and 7.1 by the US Geological Survey, struck Dingri county near the Nepal border at 9:05 am (0105 GMT). Over 1,000 houses sustained varying levels of damage, according to state media.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an all-out rescue effort, urging authorities to minimise casualties, resettle affected residents, and ensure their safety through the harsh winter. Temperatures in Dingri have plunged to minus 8 degrees Celsius, with further drops expected overnight.

Disaster relief, including tents and cold-weather supplies, has been dispatched to the affected areas. Local authorities are assessing the full extent of the damage, Xinhua reported.

Dingri county, located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest, is home to around 62,000 people. While earthquakes are common in the region, this was the most powerful quake within a 200-kilometre radius in five years, according to the CENC.

The tremors were felt as far as Lobuche in Nepal, a high-altitude area near Everest, but Nepalese officials reported no casualties or damage. Security forces have been deployed as a precaution.

Nepal, situated on a major fault line where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, frequently experiences seismic activity. In 2015, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people and left more than 22,000 injured.