At least 95 people have died and many are feared trapped after a strong earthquake in China, according to state media.
It struck in the Tibet region, in the west of the country, shortly after 9.05am (1.05am GMT), according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said it was 7.1 magnitude.
State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) put the epicentre in Tingri county, about 240 miles from Tibet’s capital Lhasa and about 14 miles from its second-largest city of Shigatse – also known as Xigaze.
At least 130 people have also reportedly been injured.
Image: The epicentre was said to be about 14 miles from Shigatse – also known as Xigaze
Image: Rescuers search for survivors in Changsuo township of Dingri in Shigatse. Pic: Xinhua/AP
About 1,500 fire and rescue workers have been deployed, according to China’s ministry of emergency management, but the area is remote and conditions difficult.
The China Earthquake Networks Centre said the average altitude in the area near the epicentre is about 4,200m (13,800 feet).
Shigatse is one of Tibet’s holiest cities and home to the Tashilhunpo Monastery – the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama – who’s second only to the Dalai Lama.
Image: Shigatse is home to the Tashilhunpo Monastery. File pic: AP
State media said the initial earthquake was followed by dozens of aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 4.4
Tremors were also felt in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, as well as Bhutan and northern India.
Anoj Raj Ghimire, chief district officer of Solukhumbu district in Nepal, said: “We felt a very strong earthquake. So far we have not received any report of injuries or physical loss.”
There have been 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 in the area where Tuesday’s quake hit over the past century, the USGS said.
Timeline of deadly earthquakes in China
May 2008: Nearly 90,000 killed or missing in a 7.9 magnitude quake in Sichuan province
April 2010: A magnitude 7.1 earthquake kills 2,698 people in Qinghai province
April 2013: A magnitude 7.0 quake kills 196 people in Sichuan
July 2013: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake kills 95 people in Gansu province
August 2014: A magnitude 6.1 quake kills 617 people in Yunnan province
Sept. 2022: A magnitude 6.8 earthquake kills 93 people in Sichuan
December 2023: At least 126 killed by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Gansu and Qinghai provinces
Earthquakes in China usually occur on the Tibetan Plateau or its fringes.
The area is where the India and Eurasia plates clash and cause uplifts that can be strong enough to change the heights of Himalayan peaks.
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