Eastern Tibet hit by shallow 5.5 magnitude earthquake

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA May 12: A shallow earthquake measuring 5.5 on Richter scale struck Chamdo in the eastern Tibet on Wednesday. The shallow Quake struck near Kokonor (Chinese: Qinghai) region.

Tibet’s border to the north had collapsed houses and injured 60 people, damaging bridges and roads as well, state media Xinhua reports.

The earthquake struck at 9:15 a.m. (local time) at 70 kilometers northwest of Gyamotang village at a depth of 10 kilometers according to the US Geological survey. The epicenter of the earthquake is Kata Town in Tibetan Autonomous Region, the site of two major Buddhist temples.

Six people were reported to be seriously injured, according to a statement on the official website of Dingqing county government. Although Rescue work is under way, crumbled roads and bridges are hampering the rescuers to reach at the earth quake site, Kata town’s chief administrator, Samba told Xinhua.

Tibet’s eastern regions are often struck by earthquakes; a quake in 2010 nearby Yushu Tibetan Autonomus Prefecture in erstwhile Tibetan province of Kham killed almost 3,000 people.