China says 126 dead after 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Tibet

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck near one of Tibet’s holiest cities on Tuesday, killing at least 95 people, Chinese state media reported.

HONG KONG — A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck near one of Tibet’s holiest cities Tuesday, killing at least 126 people, Chinese state media reported.

The earthquake, which was recorded just after 9 a.m. (8 p.m. ET Monday), was centered at a depth of nearly 6 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The tremor, which Chinese authorities recorded as magnitude 6.8, hit Dingri County in Shigatse, a mountainous region in western China that borders Nepal. Shigatse, which is about 240 miles from the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, is the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most important spiritual figure in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama.

Fallen rocks cover a road near the Shigatse national highway in Tibet on Tuesday.AFP - Getty ImagesAt least 126 people were killed, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, with 130 others injured. Many houses near the epicenter collapsed and some people were trapped.

About 6,900 people live in more than two dozen villages within about 12 miles of the epicenter, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-tibet-earthquake-nepal-rcna186509

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