Earthquake : China Confirms At Least 95 deaths

At least 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 are injured after a major earthquake struck the mountainous Tibet region on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media say.

The earthquake that hit Tibet’s holy Shigatse city around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to data from the US Geological Survey, which also showed a series of aftershocks in the area.

Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Nepal and parts of India.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line.

Shigatse is considered one of the holiest cities of Tibet. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

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.

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

Tuesday’s earthquake is one of the deadliest China has seen in recent years.

Videos published by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed destroyed houses and collapsed buildings, as rescue workers waded through debris and handed out thick blankets to locals.

Temperatures in Tingri county, near the earthquake’s epicentre, are around -8C (17.6F), and will drop to -18 this evening, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Both power and water in the region have been disrupted.