Did an earthquake strike Nepal? Viral video debunked amid Tibet disaster

On January 7, 2025, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the Tibet region, reportedly killing 95 people and injuring 130 others. The Guardian, citing Chinese state media, reported the quake-affected mountainous terrain on the Chinese side of Mount Everest. Reports alleged Tingri County was the epicenter of the disaster. The region, which is located 400 km southwest of Tibet's capital Lhasa, and on the border of Nepal, is home to nearly 62,000 people.

Amid videos of destroyed houses and collapsed buildings emerging online, a viral video alleged a 7.1 magnitude quake struck Nepal near Lobuche. The video posted by social media user Kedar alleged the footage was from the January 7, 2025, quake in Nepal.

The clip showed Main Street teeming with people and vehicles rocked by violent tremors as structures collapsed. However, the video is from the 2015 disaster when a severe earthquake struck near the city of Kathmandu in central Nepal. At the time, the incident killed 9000 people and destroyed 600,000 structures in Nepal.

However, the quake on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, was centered in the Tibet region and struck a remote region located in Tingri County high on the Tibetan plateau. At Least 1000 houses were reportedly damaged in the incident.

While the quake was not centered in Nepal, the tremors were reportedly felt as far as Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. According to Nepal police, 13 injured people had been rescued and 10 houses were damaged across the country.

Tremors were also felt in the northern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal.

Tibet earthquake was reportedly one of the deadliest incidents in recent years

According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the first Tibet earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 was recorded at 6:35 am. The second quake with magnitude 4.7 was recorded at 7:02 am and a third quake of magnitude 4.9 struck at 7:07 am. This was followed by a number of aftershocks. CNN citing China Earthquake Networks Center reported multiple aftershocks were recorded at the time of writing this article.

Trending

According to the BBC, Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Tibet and Nepal, as they lie on a major geological fault line. The quake was reportedly one of the deadliest incidents experienced in recent years.

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported over 1,500 local firefighters and rescue workers were dispatched to the affected areas in Tibet as Chinese President Xi Jinping urged officials to minimize casualties with rescue efforts.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

Comment