M6.9 quake hits Tibet's Nyingchi in SW China

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‍At least two people suffered minor injuries after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Mainling County, Nyingchi in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Saturday morning, local authorities confirmed.

The quake struck at around 6:34 a.m. BJT (1034GMT on Friday) at a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

Strong tremors were felt in neighboring counties. Several minor aftershocks were also felt.

A rescue team removes fallen rocks on an expressway after an M6.9 earthquake hit Nyingchi, a city in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, November 18, 2017. /PLA Daily Photo

The epicenter was in a no man’s land in a canyon, according to Nyingchi’s Tourism Development Committee. The CENC said the average altitude within 5-km from the epicenter exceeds 3,179 meters.

The powerful quake has also damaged buildings in some villages.

A building in a village near the epicenter has been damaged due to the powerful earthquake. /China Mobile Photo

Local authorities have launched an emergency plan to monitor the situation in the quake-hit area with the help of drones and satellite remote sensing. Three teams of 20 soldiers have been dispatched for rescue and relief work, according to PLA Daily.

China's State Grid said the electric grid in Nyingchi had not been affected by the powerful earthquake.

Nyingchi Mainling Airport has been under regular operation since the quake, and the first inbound plane landed at 8:52 a.m. BJT.

Students from Nyingchi Agriculture and Animal Husbandry College stay outdoors after the powerful earthquake. /Photo by a teacher.

About Nyingchi

Nyingchi is a prefecture-level city at the lowest elevation in Tibet Autonomous Region.

Famous for its natural scenery, Nyingchi has snow-capped mountains, cliffs, lakes, valleys and the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, one of the deepest and longest canyons in the world.

2247km