Powerful earthquake hits holy city in China's Tibet

7/1/2025 12:17

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet's holiest cities on Tuesday, damaging buildings around Shigatse and sending people running into the streets in neighbouring Nepal and India.



The temblor at 9:05 a.m. had an epicentre depth of 10 km, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said, revising the magnitude from an earlier 6.9.



Chinese state media said there had been fatalities following the quake, without giving any further details.



Shigatse is the seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.



Crumbled shop fronts could be seen in a video showing the aftermath from the nearby town of Lhatse, with debris spilling out onto the road.