BEIJING – A powerful earthquake killed at least 95 people in Tibet on Tuesday and left many more stranded as a series of aftershocks rattled the region in the highlands of western China and across the border from Nepal.
Officials in the region said in a brief press conference that another 130 were injured, state broadcaster CCTV said.
CCTV footage showed rescuers in orange suits climbing through piles of rubble blocking homes in the devastated area, while debris from buildings littered roads and wrecked cars in other areas.
State media reported that about 1,000 houses were damaged and 130 people were injured in addition to the dead, citing the Tibet earthquake relief headquarters.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 7.1 magnitude and was very shallow at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). China recorded the maximum as 6.8.
The incident was about 75 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Mount Everest, which straddles the China-Nepal border. This area is seismically active and is where the Indian and Eurasian plates collide and create the Himalayan mountain range that is strong enough to change the height of some of the world's tallest peaks.
About 50 aftershocks were recorded in the three hours after the earthquake, and the Mount Everest scenic spot on the Chinese side was closed after the earthquake.
About 1,500 firefighters and rescuers were assigned to search for people, the Department of Emergency Management. Two hundred soldiers joined the investigation, CCTV said.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping. he called for all efforts to rescue people, reduce casualties and resettle those whose homes were destroyed. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, was sent to the area to supervise the work.
CCTV said there were a number of communities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the scene, which was 380 kilometers (240 miles) from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and about 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the city. the second largest in the region. of Shigatse, known as Xigaze in Chinese.
The average elevation in the area around the event is about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), the China Earthquake Networks Center said on social media.
In Nepal, authorities asked officials in the mountainous area near the massacre to look for any casualties or damage.
The National Emergency Operation Center in Kathmandu said people in northeastern Nepal felt the tremors hard but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to houses.
A police officer in Solukhumbu village, where Mount Everest is located, said over the phone that no damage was reported. This area, which is often crowded with hikers and mountaineers, was empty in winter. Many residents migrate south to avoid the harsh winters.
About 230 kilometers (140 miles) from the epicenter of the attack in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, the earthquake jolted residents and sent them fleeing from their homes to the streets.
There have been 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 in the area where Tuesday's quake struck in the past 100 years, the USGS said.
— Associated Press writer Binaj Gurubacharya in Kathmandu, Nepal, and researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to this report.
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