Himalayan earthquake claims 95 lives, over 100 injured : Shakes India, Nepal, Bhutan

World: A devastating magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the northern foothills of the Himalayas on Tuesday, killing at least 53 people and sending shockwaves through structures across Nepal, Bhutan, and India. The epicentre was located in Tingri, a rural county in Tibet and a northern gateway to the Everest region. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake was recorded at 9:05 a.m. (0105 GMT) with a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, nine fatalities were reported on the Tibetan side,  while the tremors were felt strongly in Delhi-NCR and parts of North India, including Bihar.

Epicentre in Tingri

Tingri County is located almost at the collision point of Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, thereby forming the very Himalayas-the world's largest mountain range-which towers on the horizon. The uplift brought about by this impact is strong enough to change the heights of even the world's tallest peaks.The United States Geological Survey confirmed the quake as one of the strongest in recent years within a 200-kilometer radius. This region has experienced 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 over the past century, underscoring its seismic vulnerability.

Impact and historical context

Tuesday’s earthquake is the most powerful recorded in the area in five years. The quake struck just 380 kilometers (240 miles) from Lhasa, Tibet's capital, and within 5 kilometers of several small communities. Comparisons are being drawn to the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives and injured over 22,000 people.

Global tremors

The quake tremors went across Delhi-NCR and North India early morning, giving sleep deprived people a jolt and minor panic. Seismic history of this area has been known to present the possibility for  the tectonic force more commonly producing intense earth shattering quakes.