A 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Tibet left at least 53 people dead and dozens injured.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Tibet, according to the United States Geological Survey, left at least 53 dead and dozens injured.
The earthquake hit the northern Himalayan foothills, near a city considered sacred to Tibetans, and also shook buildings in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and India.
The alert was given at 9:05 am (local time, 01:05 am in Lisbon), with the epicenter located in Tingri, a rural Chinese county about 80 km from Everest, known as the northern gateway to the mountain region.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) attributes a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 km to the earthquake, while the China Earthquake Network Center points to a magnitude of 6.8.
At least 53 people died and 62 were injured, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, cited by Reuters.
Villages in Tingri reported strong tremors during the earthquake, which was followed by dozens of aftershocks with magnitudes up to 4.4.
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his willingness to cooperate in the search and relocate the affected people.
There are three municipalities and 27 villages within a 20 km radius of the epicenter, with a total population of around 6,900 people.
Southwest China, Nepal and northern India are often hit by earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude quake killed around 9,000 people and injured thousands in Kathmandu, including at least 18 people who died at Mount Everest base camp when it was hit by an avalanche.
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