New Delhi, January 7: The death toll rose to 95, and over 130 were injured in a powerful earthquake that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Tuesday morning.
According to a media report, the earthquake, which struck at 6:35 AM IST, was recorded at 7.1 on a richer scale confirmed by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). Its epicenter was located at latitude 28.86°N and longitude 87.51°E, at a depth of 10 kilometers, near the Tibet Autonomous Region, close to Nepal's border.
Xinhua News Agency reported that the majority of fatalities occurred in Tibet's Xizang City, with significant damage to buildings and infrastructure. In Tonglai Village, located in Changsuo Township of Dingri, Xigaze (Shigatse), many houses collapsed, compounding the devastation in the region.
Tremors from the earthquake were also felt across northern India, affecting areas such as Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Delhi-NCR, prompting widespread panic as residents fled their homes. However, no fatalities or property damage have been reported from India as of now.
Following the main quake, two aftershocks were recorded. The first, a 4.7-magnitude tremor, struck at 7:02 AM IST, with its epicenter at latitude 28.60°N and longitude 87.68°E, at a depth of 10 kilometers. A second aftershock, measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale, occurred at 7:07 AM IST, with its epicenter at latitude 28.68°N and longitude 87.54°E, at a depth of 30 kilometers.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) identified the earthquake's epicenter as being 93 kilometers northeast of Lobuche, a village near the Nepal-Tibet border, located roughly 150 kilometers east of Kathmandu and 8.5 kilometers southwest of Everest Base Camp.
