De@dly 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake Str!kes Tibet, K!lls 53, Shakes Nepal

A massive earthquake struck the northern foothills of the Himalayas early Tuesday morning, k!lling at least 53 people in Tibet and sending tremors through neighboring Nepal, Bhutan, and India.

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.8, hit at 9:05 a.m. (0105 GMT), with its epicenter located in Tingri, a rural county in Tibet, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Mount Everest.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, the earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), causing widespread destruction in the region.

The U.S. Geological Service initially reported the earthquake’s magnitude as 7.1.

On the Tibetan side, at least 53 people were confirmed dead, and 62 others were injured, with the majority of the casualties occurring in rural areas that were closest to the epicenter.

The tremors were felt far beyond Tibet’s borders, shaking buildings in nearby Nepal, Bhutan, and northern India.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) confirmed that the quake’s effects were felt in seven hill districts along the Tibet border, although as of now, no reports have surfaced of fatalities or major property damage within Nepal.

The region is no stranger to seismic activity, as the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates regularly triggers earthquakes in this part of the world.

In 2015, a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake near Kathmandu devastated Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and causing widespread destruction.

That quake was accompanied by an avalanche at Mount Everest’s base camp, killing 18 climbers.

Tuesday’s earthquake occurred near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, just a short distance from the Everest region.

Winter is generally an off-season for mountaineers, with few climbers attempting to summit during the colder months.

A German climber who had been granted a permit to ascend Everest had already left the base camp after failing to reach the summit, according to a tourism official in Nepal.

Despite the damage on the Tibetan side, the response from local authorities has been swift.

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported that emergency crews are working to assess the damage and assist those affected.

Meanwhile, in Nepal, officials are gathering information from remote villages near the border, where access is often limited and difficult due to the rugged terrain.

As rescue operations continue, the true extent of the damage and the number of casualties may rise. Authorities from all affected nations have mobilized to help those in need.