A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the autonomous region of Tibet in western China on January 7, resulting in at least 95 fatalities and 130 injuries. The epicenter was located in the remote Tingri County of the Himalayas, with a depth of 10 kilometers, which is considered shallow. The tremor was also felt in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, and northern India.
According to China's state news agency Xinhua, over a thousand homes were damaged by the quake. Local residents reported that many of the mudbrick houses collapsed due to the seismic activity. The Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged 'full efforts' to rescue victims and relocate those displaced by the disaster, which occurred during the harsh winter months with temperatures expected to drop to -18°C in the region.
The exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, expressed his condolences over the earthquake and offered prayers for those who lost their lives, wishing a swift recovery for the injured. In a similar event in 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Himalayas resulted in approximately 9,000 deaths in Nepal and destroyed over half a million homes.