The death count climbed to 126 after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted China's Tibet region on Tuesday. According to Chinese state media, Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts following heavy casualties in the autonomous region. As per the latest update, at least several have been injured. The officials said the death count might increase.
The Chinese military has sent a drone to survey the epicenter after the deadly earthquake, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command said. The theatre command's air force immediately activated a disaster relief emergency plan, it said, adding that a team of transport and medical planes, helicopters, and ground forces is on standby to assist with disaster relief, added the state media.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Earthquake Centre of India put the magnitude to 7.1 saying the epicentre is located at China’s Xizang of Tingri county, located 90 km North-East of Lobutse in the Khumbu Himalayan range of North-East Nepal.
However, China recorded a magnitude of 6.8. The quake struck at a depth of 10 km, according to a report issued by the China Earthquake Networks Centre, state-run Xinhua reported.
Nepal also felt tremors of earthquake
Meanwhile, in Nepal's Kathmandu, the strong earthquake forced people to run out of their houses. It was felt in Kavrepalanchwok, Sindhupalanchok Dhading and Solukhumbu districts as well. Many people came out of their houses due to panic in Kathmandu. People witnessed the trees and electric wires on the streets shaking for some time. At least half a dozen tremors with magnitude ranging from 4 to 5 were also recorded within a time span of an hour around 7 am, according to the USGS report.
The tremor was strong enough to terrorise people in Nepal, who recalled the 2015 great earthquake that killed 9,000 people. However, a Nepal Police spokesperson says that so far they have not received any information regarding any major physical damage or human causality. As the epicentre lies in Tibet stronger tremors were felt by people living in Northern Nepal, Nepal Police spokesperson Bishwo Adhikari said.
(With inputs from agency)
