A powerful earthquake kills at least 126 people in western China near Mount Everest

BEIJING (AFP) – A powerful earthquake shook a high area in western China and areas of Nepal on Tuesday, damaging hundreds of homes, littering the streets with rubble and killing at least 126 people in Tibet. Many others were trapped after dozens of aftershocks rocked the remote area.

Rescue workers climbed over piles of broken bricks, and some used ladders, in badly damaged villages, as they searched for survivors. Video clips published by the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management showed two people being carried by workers over the rubble of collapsed homes.

China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that at least 188 people were injured in Tibet on the Chinese side of the border.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that more than a thousand homes were damaged in the arid, sparsely populated region. In a video clip broadcast by the channel, building debris was scattered in the streets and cars were crushed.

The earthquake was felt strongly by people in northeastern Nepal, but there were no initial reports of injuries or damage, according to the country's National Emergency Operations Center. The area around Mount Everest, about 75 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the epicenter, was empty in the dead of winter and some residents even moved away to escape the cold.

The quake woke up residents of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) from the epicenter, and sent them running into the streets.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.1 and was relatively shallow at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). The Chinese Earthquake Networks Center recorded a magnitude of 6.8. Shallow earthquakes often cause more damage.

The epicenter of the quake was in Tibet's Tengri Province, where the Indian and Eurasian plates rub against each other and can cause earthquakes powerful enough to change the elevations of some of the world's highest peaks in the Himalayas.

Tibet is part of China, but the loyalty of many Tibetans lies with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader who has lived in exile in India since a failed anti-China uprising in 1959. Western governments and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Chinese government of abuses in Tibet, where It suppressed dissent while investing heavily in economic development.

The US Geological Survey said that 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 6 on the Richter scale occurred in the area struck by Tuesday's earthquake over the past century.

About 150 aftershocks were recorded in the nine hours after the quake, and the scenic Mount Everest region on the Chinese side was closed.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to rescue people, reduce losses and resettle those whose homes were damaged. CCTV said more than 3,000 rescuers were deployed.

Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing was sent to the region to direct the work, and the government announced the allocation of 100 million yuan (13.6 million US dollars) for disaster relief.

State media said about 6,900 people lived in three towns and 27 villages within 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) of the epicenter on the Chinese side. The average elevation in the area is about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), the China Earthquake Center said in a social media post.

On the southwestern edge of Kathmandu, a video showed water flowing into the street from a pond in the courtyard of a small temple.

A woman can be heard saying: “It's a big earthquake.” “People are all shaking.”

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Associated Press writer Binaj Gurubacharya in Kathmandu, Nepal, and researcher Yu Ping in Beijing contributed to this report.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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