At Least 53 Dead After Strong Earthquake In Western China Near Nepal
HuffPost
In Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, the earthquake sent residents running out of their homes.
BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake killed at least 53 people in Tibet on Tuesday and left many others trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the region of western China and across the border in Nepal.
The official Xinhua News Agency said 62 other people were injured, citing the regional disaster relief headquarters.
About 1,500 fire and rescue workers were deployed to search for people in the rubble, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 7.1 and was relatively shallow at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). China recorded the magnitude as 6.8.
The epicenter was about 75 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Mount Everest, which straddles the border. The area is seismically active and is 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.
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