On the morning of the 7th (local time), the death toll from the strong earthquake in the highland area near the Tibet Autonomous Region in western China near the Nepal border increased to 126 people.
According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, the earthquake, which occurred at 9:05 a.m. in Dingri County, the second-largest city in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Shigatse, with a magnitude of 7.1 (according to the United States Geological Survey, but China announced it as a magnitude 6.8), resulted in 126 deaths and 188 injuries as of 7 p.m.
Chinese authorities have transported 28 critical patients among the injured to the Shigatse People’s Hospital.
The earthquake has resulted in the collapse of 3,609 houses.
Xinhua News Agency previously reported that approximately 6,900 residents live within a 20 km radius of the earthquake’s epicenter.
Considering over 3,000 collapsed houses, there are concerns that the scale of the damage could increase depending on the progress of rescue and search operations.
State-run China Central Television (CCTV) reported that rescue teams saved 407 isolated residents and established 14 temporary shelters, accommodating approximately 34,000 displaced people.
Additionally, it was reported that all roads damaged by the earthquake have been repaired.
According to China’s earthquake authorities, the earthquake occurred in the Tibet Autonomous Region (latitude 28.50° N, longitude 87.45° E), adjacent to the Himalayan region of Nepal.
The average elevation within a 5 km radius of the epicenter is about 4,259 meters.
Within 5 km of the epicenter are the villages of Tangren, Xujiu, Galeguoji, Meiduo, Chaji, Lachang, and Kangchung. Within 20 km are the towns of Cuoguo and Quanyuo.
The Shigatse city government believes that the earthquake affected 14 townships (the basic administrative units in rural China), including Cuoguo and Quanyuo in Dingri County.
State-run China Central Television (CCTV) explained that in the past five years, there have been 29 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3 or more within 200 km of the epicenter and that this earthquake is “the largest earthquake to occur in the past five years.”
(Photo = AP, Yonhap News)