At least 126 people are reported dead as six earthquakes, including a powerful one measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, shook the Tibet region in China on Tuesday morning. As per the official Xinhua News Agency, several others have been injured. Tremors of this powerful earthquake were also felt in parts of India, Nepal and Bhutan.
Tibet earthquake
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.1 earthquake was centered in the Tibet region at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). China recorded the magnitude as 6.8. The epicenter was located where the India and Eurasia plates clash and cause uplifts in the Himalayan mountains strong enough to change the heights of some of the world’s tallest peaks.
The average altitude in the area around the epicenter is about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), as per the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. It also stated that there were a few communities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the epicenter, which was 380 kilometers (240 miles) from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet and about 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the region’s second-largest city of Xigaze.
According to the National Centre for Seismology, the first 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Xizang, near the Nepal-Tibet border, at 6:35 am. This intensity is considered powerful and is capable of causing severe damage.
Further, as per NCS data, two more earthquakes struck the region later in the morning. One of magnitude 4.7 was recorded at 7:02 am IST, with its epicenter at latitude 28.60 degrees North and longitude 87.68 degrees East, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Another earthquake of magnitude 4.9 occurred at 7:07 am IST, with its epicenter at latitude 28.68 degrees North and longitude 87.54 degrees East, at a depth of 30 kilometers.
Earthquake hits Kathmandu
A strong earthquake jolted Kathmandu on Tuesday. The earthquake measuring 7.1 magnitude on the Richter scale was recorded by the National Earthquake Measurement Centre at 6:50 am.
Earthquake jolts Bihar
Earthquake tremors were felt in Bihar on Tuesday morning in several districts including the capital Patna and Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Munger, and others.
(With inputs from AP)
