07 Jan 2025, Ozi News Desk, (Sumit Joshi)
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Tibet on January 7, early morning, with tremors also felt in Nepal and northern India. At least 32 people have been reported dead as a result of the disaster.
The earthquake hit Tibet at around 9:05 AM on Tuesday, collapsing several buildings. While initial reports indicated that the quake originated in Nepal, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) later confirmed that the epicenter was in Tibet, approximately 10 km deep. The affected area has an average altitude of around 13,800 feet, as reported by CCTV, citing AP.
Some social media reports indicated the earthquake hit near the border between Tibet and Nepal. The National Center for Seismology (NSC) posted a tweet confirming the 7.1 magnitude earthquake near “Xizang” (Tibet).
https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1876443163004670006
Death Toll at 32, 38 Injured, Many Buildings Collapsed
As of the latest updates, the death toll stands at 32, with 38 people injured, many due to the collapse of buildings in Dingri County, Tibet. According to Xinhua News Agency, the earthquake, recorded as a magnitude 6.8 by China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), hit Dingri County in the Xigaze region at 9:05 AM.
The region was heavily impacted by strong tremors, with many buildings near the epicenter collapsing. The largest aftershock recorded was a magnitude 4.4. Local authorities are reaching out to affected townships in the county to assess the situation.
Dingri County, home to around 62,000 people, experienced the strongest earthquake within a 200 km radius in the past five years.
Quake Felt in Nepal and India
The earthquake was felt in parts of Nepal, including Kathmandu, where buildings shook just before dawn. As the earthquake’s epicenter was located over 200 km away in Tibet, authorities are still assessing any potential damage in Nepal.
Tremors also affected areas near Mount Everest, such as Lobuche in Nepal, and a series of aftershocks followed. Local officials reported strong shaking, though they were yet to confirm any significant damage.
Tremors Felt in Bihar, Patna, and Kolkata
The earthquake’s tremors were so powerful that they were felt in distant areas like Bihar, Patna, and Kolkata. Social media reports confirmed that regions like Sheohar in Bihar experienced the tremors early in the morning.
#WATCH | Earthquake tremors felt in Bihar's Sheohar as an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter Scale hit 93 km North East of Lobuche, Nepal at 06:35:16 IST today pic.twitter.com/D3LLphpHkU
— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2025
Nepal, which lies on a major geological fault line, regularly experiences earthquakes. In 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated Nepal, causing nearly 9,000 fatalities and injuring more than 22,000 people.