Magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits Tibet, China

Istanbul (ANTARA) – A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck China’s Tibet Autonomous Region on Thursday, and the US Geological Survey (USGS) warned of the potential for widespread damage.

The earthquake occurred at 22:33 local time, or 14:33 GMT (21:33 WIB), at a depth of 10 kilometres, about 183 kilometres from the city of Nagqu in the northern part of the region, officially known as Xizang.

The USGS issued a yellow alert for potential casualties, meaning some people may have died. It also issued an orange alert for potential economic losses.

An orange alert indicates the possibility of significant damage with potentially widespread impacts. The USGS estimated economic losses at less than 1 per cent of China’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“Previous earthquakes with this level of alert have required a regional or national response,” the USGS said in a statement.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage caused by the earthquake. However, the USGS said people in the area generally live in buildings vulnerable to earthquake shaking.

Chinese authorities activated a Level II emergency response, the national news agency Xinhua reported.

The response is applied when an initial assessment classifies an earthquake as a serious disaster, or when a magnitude 6.5 to below 7.0 earthquake strikes an important area.

Tibet was previously hit by major flash floods in August, triggered by an ice-and-rock avalanche on Mount Langtang Lirung in Nepal.

Nearly 1,500 people were killed on both sides of the border, while thousands more remain missing. In China, 43 people died and 519 were reported missing.

Of those reported missing in Tibet, 261 were foreign nationals, the report said.