On the morning of the 7th, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region in western China, killing at least 95 people. The area is a plateau near the border between China and Nepal, where earthquakes occur frequently, and this earthquake is said to be the largest earthquake that has occurred in the past five years. The tremor was so strong that it was felt even in New Delhi, India, about 1,000 km away from the epicenter. Since the first earthquake was followed by aftershocks of magnitude 4 to 5, and there are reports that about 1,000 houses have collapsed, the number of casualties and other damage is expected to increase further. On this day, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered, “Make every effort to rescue the rescue operation.”
●Vibrations can be felt in Nepal and India
According to the China Earthquake Network (CENS), an earthquake observation agency, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 occurred at 9:05 a.m. on this day in Dingle County, Lekaze City, Xijiang Autonomous Region. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) also announced that earthquakes of magnitude 7.1 and 7.0 occurred in the area, respectively.
“As of 3 p.m., 95 people were killed and 130 were injured,” Lekadssi said in a briefing that day. He then said, “The power supply to Longxia Township, Dingle County (provincial, administrative district in China) was cut off, and landslides occurred in some areas, including Chulashan District.” The area around the epicenter is a highland area with an average altitude of over 4,200 meters above sea level. There are three townships and 27 villages within a 20km radius of the epicenter, with a population of approximately 6,900.
Videos showing the impact of the earthquake were uploaded one after another on social networking services (SNS). In a closed-circuit (CCTV) video of a large supermarket, shelves shook violently, products spilled onto the floor, and employees rushed out of the building. Immediately after the earthquake, brick houses collapsed beyond recognition, and building materials and household goods were tangled on the roads. State-run China Central (CC) TV reported, “29 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater have occurred within 200km around the epicenter over the past five years, and this earthquake is the largest among those that have occurred in the past five years.”
Aftershocks continue. According to the China Earthquake Network, since the first earthquake, 19 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher have occurred until 5 p.m. Of these, the magnitude 4.4 aftershock that occurred at 9:24 was the strongest.
This earthquake was also felt in Nepal and India. The Associated Press reported, “Severe shaking was felt in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, 230km away from the epicenter, causing people who were sleeping to run out into the streets.” The number of casualties may increase as the damage in mountainous areas of Nepal, close to the epicenter, is not yet known. The Times of India reported that the earthquake was felt not only in Kathmandu and the Indian capital, New Delhi, but also in Bangladesh and Bhutan.
The climbing trail on Mount Everest was also temporarily closed due to the earthquake. There is a base camp on the Chinese side of Mount Everest in Dingle County, close to the epicenter. However, the Dingle County Culture and Tourism Bureau explained that there was no damage to mountaineers who went hiking during the winter, and that tourists and employees in surrounding areas, including hotels, are safe.
● Xi Jinping: “We will do our best to search and rescue people.”
President Xi emphasized on this day, “We must make every effort to search and rescue people, treat the injured, and prevent secondary damage.” He also called for timely distribution of emergency rescue workers to affected residents and restoration of damaged social infrastructure to create safe and warm conditions. In addition, Jiang Guoqing, Vice Premier of the State Council, was dispatched to the scene to lead rescue efforts.
China’s Ministry of Finance urgently allocated 100 million yuan (about 19.7 billion won) from the Central Natural Disaster Relief Fund. The authorities are engaged in rescue operations by deploying about 3,400 people, including fire brigade, police, and soldiers, and about 150 rescue equipment. However, aftershocks continue near the epicenter and rescue operations are expected to be difficult due to cold weather of -10 to 20 degrees Celsius.
Some are concerned that this earthquake could be a sign of a major earthquake in the Himalayan mountain region spanning western China and Nepal. In Nepal, from mid-December last year to this day, 10 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater occurred. Previously, about 70,000 people died in the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, west of Sichan Autonomous Region, and about 9,000 people died in the 2015 magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Beijing = Correspondent Kim Cheol-joong [email protected]
Reporter Lee Ji-yoon [email protected]
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