Over 126 Confirmed Dead Following 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake in Tibet – One America News Network
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
2:03 PM – Tuesday, January 7, 2025
According to Chinese state media, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake claimed the lives of at least 126 individuals on Tuesday, occurring near one of Tibet’s holiest cities.
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As reported by The U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was registered shortly after 9 a.m. local time (8 p.m. ET on Monday) and was situated at a depth of nearly 6 miles.
The quake hit Dingri County in Shigatse, a mountainous region of western China neighboring Nepal, with Chinese authorities initially measuring its magnitude at 6.8 before updating it to 7.1.
Notably, Shigatse is home to the Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama, located about 240 miles from Tibet’s capital, Lhasa.
China’s state-run news agency, Xinhua, confirmed that at least 126 people have lost their lives, with an additional 130 reported injured. Many individuals remain trapped as numerous homes near the epicenter crumbled.
Chinese state television CCTV also revealed that over two dozen villages, housing approximately 6,900 residents, lie within 12 miles of the quake’s center.
According to locals, the high death toll can be attributed in part to poor construction practices of homes near the epicenter.
A local resident, Sangji Dangzhi, 34, expressed that the situation is “extremely serious,” noting significant damage to his supermarket in the nearby Tingri County.
“Here, the houses are built from mud, so when the earthquake struck… many homes were destroyed,” Dangzhi stated.
Footage from Lhatse County in Shigatse, corroborated by NBC News, depicted torn billboards and buildings whose walls and roofs had entirely collapsed in areas closer to the earthquake’s epicenter. Additional videos captured roadways littered with fallen debris and trees, with several cars shuddering from the impact of the wreckage. Broken concrete sidewalks were also scattered around.
Liu Huazhong, Shigatse’s deputy mayor, informed during a press briefing that over 3,400 military and firefighting personnel, alongside 340 medical staff, were deployed to the affected areas by Chinese authorities.
Additionally, 150 vehicles equipped for search and rescue missions were dispatched, and reports indicated power outages in various regions.
“An array of disaster relief supplies, including self-heating rice, bottled water, instant noodles, cold-weather jackets, thermal shoes, blankets, beds, and tents, has been promptly allocated by the townships,” Liu announced.
Residents in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal located 250 miles away, also felt the tremors.
The Himalayan region, positioned along the fault line between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, is prone to frequent seismic activity. The USGS indicates that there have been ten recorded earthquakes of magnitude six or greater within a 150-mile radius of Tuesday’s epicenter over the past century.
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