World

At least 95 people killed in China as earthquake hits near Tibetan holy city

At least nine people have died in a strong earthquake in China.

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck in a mountainous area in the autonomous Tibet region, near the border with Nepal, shortly after 9.05am on Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said it had recorded a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, centred in the Tibet region.

State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) cited the Ministry of Emergency Management for the number of dead, but did not give details on the casualties.

The broadcaster said the epicentre was around 380 kilometres (240 miles) from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and about 23 kilometres (14 miles) from the region’s second-largest city of Xigaze.

The area is where the Indian and Eurasian plates clash and cause uplifts in the Himalayan mountains.

There have been 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 in the area where Tuesday’s quake hit over the past century, the USGS said.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed some 9,000 people and damaged about 1 million structures in Nepal in 2015.

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