Powerful earthquake in China’s Tibet region leaves 126 dead

People gather in an open area following earthquake tremors in Kathmandu, in the early hours on Jan. 7, 2025.

A devastating earthquake in China's remote Tibet region killed at least 95 people and collapsed "many buildings" on Tuesday, state media reported, with tremors also felt in neighboring Nepal's capital Kathmandu and parts of India.

Videos published by China's state broadcaster CCTV showed houses destroyed with walls torn apart.

Rescue workers waded through rubble strewn across the ruins in the aftermath of the earthquake, footage showed, while some gave locals thick blankets to keep warm in subzero temperatures.

Surveillance images published by CCTV showed people running through a store's aisles as shelves shook violently, sending objects like toys tumbling to the ground.

"A total of 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured as of 3 p.m.," Xinhua news agency said.

More than a thousand houses have been damaged, Xinhua reported earlier.

The powerful quake struck Tingri county with a magnitude of 6.8 near the border with Nepal at 9:05 a.m., according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). The U.S. Geological Survey reported the tremor as magnitude 7.1.

Sangji Dangzhi, whose supermarket in Tingri county suffered considerable damage, described the situation as "very serious" with ambulances taking people to hospital throughout the day.

"Here the houses are made from dirt so when the earthquake came lots of houses collapsed," the 34-year-old, who returned home from Shigatse after the quake struck, told AFP by phone.

CCTV reported that Tingri county and its surrounding areas "experienced very strong tremors, and many buildings near the epicenter have collapsed."

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