World News
This is why the Chinese government has forbidden the ascent of Mount Everest in January 2025
Mountaineers who have trained and had their sights set on climbing to the summit of Mount Everest this month will have to postpone their expedition.
China has shut down access to the scenic areas of its side of Mount Everest to tourists after a powerful earthquake killed at least 126 people and injured 188 others in Tibet.
No avalanches have been reported so far from the Chinese side, according to the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency.
The epicenter of the quake was located in Tingri County in Tibet, approximately 50 miles north of the world’s highest mountain, which straddles China and Nepal. Tingri is home to the North Base Camp in Tibet.
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Neighboring Nepal, Bhutan, and India also felt the effects of the tremor.
The United States Geological Survey or USGS placed the intensity of the earthquake at magnitude 7.1, while China reported its magnitude at 6.8.
The USGS said the strength of quake caused part of the land around the epicenter to slip as much as five feet three inches over a distance of 50 miles. The seismic event was one of the strongest to hit the region in decades.
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Chinese officials say more than 400 people trapped in the rubble in freezing temperatures have already been rescued, but an undetermined number are still unaccounted for.
Around 50 aftershocks were felt in the three hours immediately following the earthquake.
Tibetan officials say analysis has shown that quakes with magnitude 5 or 6 can take place in the same area in the near future.
Local emergency officials have been sent to towns in both China and Nepal to evaluate further damages from the earthquake.
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