Natural Calamities / 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Tibet Weeks After Deadly Flash Floods

New Delhi, Oct 22: A powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Tibet on Thursday evening, renewing concerns over natural disaster risks in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region that is still recovering from devastating flash floods and landslides in recent months.

According to India’s National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake occurred at around 8.03 p.m. at a depth of 173 kilometres below the Earth’s surface. The epicentre was located nearly 400 kilometres from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

The latest earthquake follows a series of seismic events in the region. On September 3, Tibet experienced a magnitude 5.0 earthquake at a depth of around 14 kilometres. Earlier, in January 2025, a stronger earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, claimed more than 120 lives and injured hundreds of people.

Scientists and climate experts have repeatedly warned that rising temperatures, receding glaciers and increasingly extreme weather patterns could heighten the frequency and severity of natural disasters across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The latest tremor has once again drawn attention to the vulnerability of communities already grappling with the aftermath of recent calamities.

The earthquake comes weeks after a massive ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 triggered catastrophic flash floods across the region. The floods washed away homes, roads and bridges, damaged hydropower infrastructure and left thousands missing, causing widespread devastation in both Nepal and Tibet.
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In Nepal, at least 1,455 people were killed, while 5,285 remained missing when authorities concluded search and rescue operations. The Nepal Government has estimated that nearly $5 billion will be required for recovery and rehabilitation efforts aimed at supporting displaced communities.

On the Tibetan side, Chinese state media reported 43 deaths and more than 500 people missing. Earlier reports had placed the number of missing persons at 558, including 260 foreign nationals. However, the full extent of the destruction remains difficult to independently verify because of limited information emerging from the affected areas.
(With inputs from IANS)