Tibet: 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Kills at Least 126

At least 126 people were killed, with another 188 injured, after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the foothills of the Himalayas at around 09:00 local time on January 7, according to Chinese state media.

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after the major earthquake damaged more than 1,000 buildings in the remote region of Tibet, near Everest.

A large-scale rescue operation was launched, with survivors under additional pressure as temperatures were predicted to fall as low as -16C (3.2F) overnight.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line, but this one was one of China’s deadliest in recent years.

The magnitude 7.1 quake, which struck at a depth of 6 miles, according to data from the US Geological Survey, was also felt in Nepal and parts of India, which neighbour Tibet.

Videos published by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed destroyed houses and collapsed buildings in Tibet’s holy Shigatse city, with rescue workers wading through debris and handing out thick blankets to locals.

Temperatures in Tingri county, near the earthquake’s epicentre in the northern foothills of the Himalayas, were already as low as -8C (17.6F) before night fell, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Power and water in the region have been disrupted. There were more than 40 aftershocks in the first few hours following the quake.

Chinese state media reported the earthquake as having a slightly lesser magnitude of 6.8, causing “obvious” tremors andleading to the damage of more than 1,000 houses.

Sitting at the foot of Mount Everest, which separates Nepal and China, Tingri county is a popular base for climbers preparing to ascend the world’s tallest peak.

Everest sightseeing tours in Tingri, originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, have been cancelled, a tourism staff member told local media, adding that the sightseeing area had been fully closed.

There were three visitors in the sightseeing area who had all been moved to an outdoor area for safety, they said.

Shigatse region, home to 800,000 people, is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

The exiled spiritual leader said he had been deeply saddened by news of the quake.

“I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement.

The current Dalai Lama fled Tibet to India in 1959 after China annexed the region, and has since been seen as an alternative source of power for Tibetans who resent Beijing’s control – which extends to local media and internet access. Many believe China will also choose its own Dalai Lama when the current one dies.

Tibetan Gedhun Choekyi Niyima who was identified as the reincarnated Panchen Lama was disappeared by China when he was six years old. China then chose its own Panchen Lama.