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Seismologists count 515 aftershocks after earthquake in Tibet

Up to 95% of cases of ongoing seismic activity in the area of the city of Shigatse were tremors with a magnitude of less than 3.0

© Dan McGarry via AP

BEIJING, January 8. /TASS/. Chinese seismologists have recorded 515 aftershocks in the disaster area in the Tibet Autonomous Region, which occurred over the past 24 hours after the main and most destructive earthquake, China Central Television reported.

Up to 95% of cases of ongoing seismic activity in the area of the city of Shigatse were tremors with a magnitude of less than 3.0. The strongest of them reached a magnitude of 4.4.

On January 7, the US Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 7.1 earthquake had struck the Tibet Autonomous Region on the border with Nepal. Its epicenter was 163 km southwest of the city of Shigatse, with a population of around 80,000, and the epicenter was at a depth of 10 km. According to the Russian Embassy in Beijing, there were no reports of Russians in this seismic zone.

The earthquake destroyed many residential buildings and infrastructure. More than 400 military personnel are taking part in search and rescue operations, and people have been evacuated from the disaster zone. According to the latest data from the Xinhua News Agency, the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 126, with another 188 people injured.

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