The Tibet warning

Given the millions of lives on the line, earthquake risk should be taken as a perpetual emergency.

On the morning of January 7, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the remote Tingri County in southern Tibet, killing over 120 individuals and injuring countless more. Located just 80 km north of Mt Everest, the epicentre also sent tremors in Nepal and caused residents to flee their homes in fear. Even though no major damage was reported on this side of the border, the powerful jolt certainly reminded us of Nepal’s vulnerability to earthquakes by evoking the painful memories of 2015, when a fearsome temblor killed almost 9,000 people, and also the 2023 Jajarkot earthquake, which claimed more than 150 lives—plus many smaller ones in between.