A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck Tibet on Wednesday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, with tremors felt in Nepal , days after a major flood caused massive destruction along parts of the Nepal-Tibet border.
There were no immediate reports of deaths, injuries or significant damage following the earthquake. Nepali authorities have been working to confirm the number of missing people by bringing together information collected from different parts of the country. Rescue operations in Nepal entered their 14th day after a glacial and mountain collapse near the China-Nepal border destroyed roads, bridges and homes. Hundreds of hydropower workers are among those still missing. The exact reason for the glacial collapse remains unknown. However, climate change is causing glaciers to melt faster around the world, raising the risk of similar disasters. With inputs from agencies
The 5.3 magnitude quake occurred at a depth of 35 kilometres (21.75 miles), according to the EMSC. However, India’s National Center for Seismology (NCS) said that the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.0. The earthquake comes less than two weeks after a major disaster hit the Himalayan border region on August 26. A 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit Tibet on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor was recorded at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), reported by news agency Reuters. Nepal’s disaster authority said on Tuesday that the toll from the devastating floods had climbed to 1,357, while 5,326 people remained missing, nearly two weeks after the disaster on August 26. Meanwhile, Chinese state media reported that 43 people had died in Tibet and 519 were still missing. This took the combined toll to 1,400 deaths and 5,845 missing people.
However, the rescue of three people trapped deep inside tunnels, including two Nepalis on Friday and a Chinese national on Saturday, has raised hopes that more survivors may be found.
