QUAKE HORROR
At least 126 dead as massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes near Everest and collapses buildings in Tibet
Terrifying footage shows the moment the deadly tremors started
AT LEAST 126 people have died after a devastating earthquake ripped through one of Tibet’s holiest cities.
The 7.1 magnitude quake destroyed “many buildings” in Shigatse injuring 130 and wreaking havoc in parts of Nepal and India.
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The quake has also left dozens missing with rescue teams desperately looking for survivors, the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC) has warned.
And at least 188 people were injured in Tibet on the Chinese side of the border, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Videos posted by China's Ministry of Emergency Management showed two people being carried on stretchers by workers treading over the debris from collapsed homes.
They were seen climbing mounds of broken bricks, with some using ladders in heavily damaged villages.
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The earthquake also rocked Mount Everest - the world's tallest peak at 29,000ft - but everyone on the mountain is understood to be safe.
In a statement earlier today a spokesperson said: “Fifty-three people have been confirmed dead, and 62 others injured as of Tuesday noon, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County in the city of Xigaze in Xizang Autonomous Region at 9.05am Tuesday.”
Hours later the US Geological Survey (USGC) reported the tremor as of 7.1 magnitude.
They said data showed the earthquake had a depth of six miles.
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Terrifying footage shows the moment the deadly tremors started to rock the Tibetan city as well as Nepal's capital of Kathmandu.
A surveillance camera was left shaking as the quake tore through Tibet with 1,000 homes left in disarray, according to Chinese state media.
Images show many buildings have turned to rubble in the region with walls knocked down and cars left battered by the falling debris.
The streets are filled with broken bricks as teams continue on with their searches.
Chinese president Xi Jinping ordered his teams to help with the hunt for survivors and to aid with re-homing the affected residents.
The Chinese air force is even using specialist drones to scour the rubble around the bottom of Mount Everest which sits around 50 miles from the epicentre of the quake.
Data from the USGC showed that the world's tallest mountain faced tremors reaching up to 4.5 magnitude.
It is unclear if any climbers were up Everest at the time and if they have been safely rescued.
China's worst ever earthquakes
- May 2008: A magnitude 7.9 earthquake leaves nearly 90,000 people dead or missing and presumed dead in the Sichuan province
- April 2010: A magnitude 7.1 earthquake kills 2,698 people in Qinghai province
- April 2013: Three years later a magnitude 7.0 earthquake kills 196 people in Sichuan
- July 2013: Another 95 died just a few months on after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake rocked Gansu province
- August 2014: A magnitude 6.1 earthquake kills 617 people in Yunnan province
- September 2022: An earthquake wipes out 93 people in Sichuan after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake
- December 2023: A magnitude 6.2 quake kills 126 people in Gansu and Qinghai provinces
- January 2025: At least 126 dead as massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake collapses buildings in Tibet
Many villages in the Nepalese border area which were affected by tremors are extremely difficult to access making rescue missions hard.
These areas are often sparsely populated and are so remote that they can only be reached by foot with limited supplies.
Temperatures are well below freezing with both power and water being cut off for the tens of thousands of residents.
Shigatse is widely regarded as one of the holiest cities in Tibet for its rich history and traditions.
It is the seat of the Panchen Lam - a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism - who is seen as the second most authoritative spiritual figure after the Dalai Lama.
CENC researcher Jiang Haikun warned that another magnitude 5 earthquake could strike in the coming hours.
But he added that "the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low".
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Nepal is particularly prone to earthquakes as it sits along the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Today's quake however is the most powerful recorded within a 200-kilometre radius in the last five years, the CENC said.
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