Thu Jan 09 00:11:36 UTC 2025: ## Death Toll Rises to 126 After Powerful Earthquake Strikes Tibet
**KATHMANDU, Nepal/BEIJING, China** – A powerful earthquake that struck near the border of China and Nepal on Tuesday has claimed the lives of at least 126 people and injured 188, Chinese officials reported Wednesday. The magnitude 7.1 quake (6.8 according to China’s Earthquake Networks Center), which struck at a shallow depth of approximately 10 kilometers, triggered a massive rescue operation in the affected region of Tibet’s Tingri county.
Over 400 people have been rescued from the rubble of more than 3,600 destroyed homes, but the effort is hampered by hundreds of aftershocks and freezing temperatures. Approximately 30,000 residents have been relocated. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered a large-scale rescue and resettlement effort, deploying over 3,000 rescuers and allocating $13.6 million in emergency funds. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing has been dispatched to oversee relief operations.
While the earthquake was strongly felt in northeastern Nepal, including the capital Kathmandu, initial reports indicate no injuries or significant damage in the sparsely populated area around Mount Everest. The timing of the quake, during the winter when many residents leave the area, likely minimized casualties in Nepal.
The epicenter lies in a seismically active zone where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, a region prone to powerful earthquakes. US Geological Survey data indicates at least 10 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater have occurred in this area over the past century. Rescue efforts continue amid challenging conditions.
First Piper 