Three more earthquakes were recorded in Tibet on Saturday morning following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Thursday night. The death toll has reached 16, with 76 people injured, while rescue operations continue and authorities search damaged buildings for trapped people.
According to data from the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the first earthquake was recorded in Tibet at 1:08 a.m. Indian Standard Time on Saturday, with a magnitude of 4.0 and a depth of approximately 15 kilometres.
A second earthquake occurred at 2:07 a.m., measuring 4.6 in magnitude. The third tremor was recorded at 5:38 a.m., with a magnitude of 4.5. Both the second and third earthquakes had a recorded depth of 10 kilometres.
The tremors followed a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck the Nagqu region of Tibet on Thursday night, October 22. Smaller tremors have continued since then. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has also recorded several aftershocks following the main earthquake.
Light earthquakes were also recorded in parts of India on Saturday morning. Doda in Jammu and Kashmir experienced a magnitude 2.8 earthquake at 3:11 a.m., followed by a magnitude 2.4 tremor in Kishtwar at 4:54 a.m.
Chikkaballapur in Karnataka recorded a magnitude 2.9 earthquake at 3:29 a.m. The depth of the earthquakes at all three locations was approximately five kilometres.
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake was recorded in China at 4:09 a.m., while a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was recorded in Afghanistan at 3:39 a.m. However, no direct connection between these tremors and the main earthquake in Tibet has been confirmed
The powerful earthquake that struck Tibet on Thursday night caused extensive damage in several villages. According to local officials, 16 people have died and 76 have been injured so far. At least 339 houses have collapsed or sustained damage.
Images released by China's state broadcaster CCTV showed damaged walls in several houses and building debris scattered across roads.
Baqen County in Nagqu City is among the worst-affected areas, forcing several families to leave their homes. Authorities are concerned that continued tremors could cause further damage to buildings already weakened by the earthquake.
According to China's state news agency Xinhua, more than 12,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas and moved to safe locations. More than 5,000 personnel from three local counties have been deployed for rescue operations.
Rescue workers are visiting villages to inspect damaged houses and search for people trapped under debris.
Nagqu's acting mayor, Dunzhu, said that rescue teams had conducted three search operations by Friday afternoon. During these operations, teams inspected affected villages and houses.
The high-altitude location is making rescue efforts difficult. Cold conditions, difficult routes and the risk of falling rocks are creating challenges for rescue teams. Temporary shelters are also being prepared for people who have lost their homes.
