Strong earthquake kills at least 32 people in western China
The official Xinhua News Agency said that 38 others have been injured, citing the regional disaster relief headquarters
People stand amidst damaged houses in the aftermath of an earthquake in Tonglai Village (AP)
BEIJING: A strong earthquake shook a mountainous region in western China near Nepal on Tuesday morning, killing at least 32 people.
The official Xinhua News Agency said that 38 others have been injured, citing the regional disaster relief headquarters.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.1 earthquake was centered in the Tibet region at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). China recorded the magnitude as 6.8.
The epicenter was located where the India and Eurasia plates clash and cause uplifts in the Himalayan mountains strong enough to change the heights of some of the world’s tallest peaks.
The average altitude in the area around the epicenter is about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
CCTV said there were a handful of communities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the epicenter, which was 380 kilometers (240 miles) from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet and about 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the region’s second-largest city of Xigaze.