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At least 53 lives were lost on Tuesday when a catastrophic earthquake shook China’s isolated Tibet region, toppling countless buildings and leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. State media confirmed the extensive damage, while reports indicated that the tremors reverberated across borders, reaching Kathmandu in Nepal and various parts of India, sparking widespread alarm.
State broadcaster CCTV shared haunting videos revealing the earthquake’s aftermath, with homes flattened and walls ripped asunder. These images not only highlighted the physical devastation but also the vulnerability of the region’s infrastructure in the face of such calamity.
Scenes of the earthquake’s aftermath showed rescue teams trudging through the wreckage, where rubble lay strewn across collapsed structures. Amid their efforts, some workers extended a compassionate hand, providing locals with thick blankets to combat the chilling conditions.
In images released by CCTV, shoppers were seen frantically fleeing through store aisles, their movements driven by the violent tremors that rattled the shelves, sending objects such as toys crashing to the floor. Meanwhile, in Lhatse, AFP-geolocated videos depicted a different scene: streetside eateries, once lively, now covered in debris, the aftermath of the powerful quake.
Dingri County was struck by a catastrophic earthquake at 9:05 am local time (0105 GMT), with the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) confirming a magnitude of 6.8. The US Geological Survey, however, assessed the tremor’s intensity as a 7.1 magnitude, highlighting the significant impact of the seismic event.
“Fifty-three people have been confirmed dead and 62 injured as of Tuesday noon, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County in the city of Xigaze in Xizang Autonomous Region at 9:05 am Tuesday,” Xinhua news agency said.
Over 1,000 houses have sustained varying degrees of damage, it added.
“Dingri county and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors, and many buildings near the epicentre have collapsed,” state broadcaster CCTV said.
Read also: Major Earthquake Strikes Vanuatu, Casualties Spotted In Capital
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday emphasised “the full-scale search and rescue efforts, minimizing casualties to the greatest extent possible, properly resettling affected residents, and ensuring their safety and warmth through the winter”, CCTV added.
Xinhua said that “local authorities are reaching out to various townships in the county to assess the impact of the quake”.
Temperatures in Dingri are around minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and will drop to minus 18 this evening, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
Disaster relief aid, including cotton tents, quilts and items for high-altitude and frigid areas, had been dispatched by central authorities to areas impacted by the quake, Xinhua said.
The high-altitude county in the Tibet region is home to around 62,000 people and situated on the Chinese side of Mount Everest.
While earthquakes are common in the region, Tuesday’s quake was the most powerful recorded within a 200-kilometre radius in the last five years, the CENC added.
