CTA President Expresses Deep Sorrow, Announces Prayer Service for Tibet Earthquake Victims

DHARAMSHALA, Jan 7: The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has expressed deep sorrow over the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the Tingri (Chinese: Dingri) region in Tibet this morning.

The CTA President Penpa Tsering has announced that a special prayer service will be held tomorrow at the Tsuglagkhang temple in Dharamshala, where the Tibetan exile community and the CTA will gather to pray for those affected by the disaster. The natural calamity has killed at least 95 people and injured 130 others, causing extensive damage in the area.

“The CTA, along with Tibetans around the world, extends its heartfelt condolences and prayers to all those affected by this tragedy,” the CTA President said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding that they are continuing to monitor the situation inside Tibet.

The prayer service at Tsuglagkhang will be attended by Tibetans living in and around Dharamshala, the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile.

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Tingri County at 9:05 a.m. Tuesday (Beijing Time), with the tremors of the massive earthquake reportedly being felt in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and in the northern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal.

The Dalai Lama, who is currently in Bylakuppe Tibetan Settlement in Karnataka, south India, for a month-long retreat to rest and recuperate after his knee surgery in June last year, has also expressed deep sadness over the earthquake in Tibet and offered his “prayers for those who have lost their lives” and extended his wishes for a “swift recovery to all who have been injured.”