Devastating Earthquake Strikes Western China

A powerful earthquake struck western China near the Nepal border, causing at least nine deaths. The magnitude 7.1 quake hit a mountainous region in Tibet. The US Geological Survey and China's monitoring agency recorded varying quake magnitudes, highlighting potential disparities in data reporting.

A powerful earthquake rocked a mountainous region in western China, near the border with Nepal, early Tuesday morning, resulting in at least nine fatalities, according to state media reports.

The Ministry of Emergency Management announced the death toll, as cited by state broadcaster CCTV, though further details on the casualties remain undisclosed.

The tremor, recorded at a magnitude of 7.1 by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck at a depth of 10 kilometers in a sparsely populated area of Tibet, approximately 380 kilometers from the regional capital, Lhasa. China's earthquake monitoring agency reported a slightly lower magnitude of 6.8.

(With inputs from agencies.)