Deadly 6.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Tibet's Dingri County

On Tuesday, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri county, located in Shigatse, Tibet, at 9:05 am local time. The earthquake's epicenter, recorded at 28.5°N and 87.45°E, was situated at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). According to China's official Xinhua news agency, the earthquake has resulted in at least 32 fatalities and 38 injuries.

The earthquake, the largest in the area in five years, also led to significant damage in local villages. In Tonglai village, part of Changsuo township in Dingri, several houses collapsed. The area surrounding the epicenter, within a 5-kilometer radius, includes seven villages, further contributing to the scale of the impact. Nearby, Dinggye county is located 34 kilometers from the epicenter, with Shigatse city lying 164 kilometers to the east and Lhasa, the regional capital, 379 kilometers away.

Tremors from the earthquake were felt beyond Tibet, reaching as far as Nepal and northern India. In Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, residents fled buildings as they shook, and the tremors were particularly strong in regions close to Mount Everest, including Lobuche. The government in Nepal has mobilized forces to assess the earthquake's impact, though there have been no reports of casualties from Nepal as of now.

Shigatse, one of Tibet's holiest cities, is also the seat of the Panchen Lama, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism. This earthquake highlights the region’s vulnerability to seismic activity, with over 29 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher recorded in the past five years within a 200-kilometer radius of the epicenter.