Earthquake in Tibet, at least 95 people died

The earthquake occurred in Dingri County in China's Tibet region, near the border with Nepal, at 9:05 a.m. today (8:05 a.m. Hanoi time) with the epicenter at a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1.

"Dingri County and surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors and many buildings near the epicenter collapsed," CCTV reported. A series of aftershocks were recorded following the earthquake, with the strongest measuring 4.4 magnitude.

Media images showed many houses destroyed, walls cracked and rubble scattered everywhere after the earthquake.

At least 95 people were killed, 130 injured and many houses collapsed. Aftershocks were also felt in Nepal's capital Kathmandu and parts of India.

Local authorities are contacting towns in the district to assess the impact. The temperature in Dingri is currently -8 degrees and will drop to -18 degrees tonight.

Dingri County, home to about 62,000 people, is located on the Tibetan plateau and is part of Shigatse, the autonomous region’s second-largest city. Earthquakes are common in the region, but Wednesday’s quake was the strongest in five years within a 200-kilometer radius, the CENC added.

The southwestern region of China, Nepal and northern India is prone to earthquakes due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

A massive earthquake in China's Sichuan province in 2008 killed nearly 70,000 people. In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck near Kathmandu, killing about 9,000 people and injuring thousands, making it Nepal's deadliest earthquake.