Technology and Science03 September, 20263 min read
Magnitude 5 Earthquake Strikes Tibet Days After Glacier Deluge Near Nepal Border
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A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Tibet near the Nepal border. Occurs days after catastrophic floods triggered by glacier collapse, with thousands dead or missing.
Quake After Floods
A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Tibet on Thursday, coming more than a week after the August 26 mega deluge triggered by the collapse of a glacier in Tibet near the border with Nepal. India Today said the quake was at a depth of 10 km, citing the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), and reported that there were no immediate reports of any damages or injuries. On the Nepal side, the same India Today account said at least 1,252 people have been confirmed dead and more than 4,200 remain missing, while China raised the death toll in Tibet to 21 and said 541 people remain missing.
“According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the quake was at a depth of 10 km.”
China reopened the road to Tibet's Gyirong border crossing after it was destroyed by the wall of water and debris, and CCTV showed excavators, rescue teams, sniffer dogs and life-detection equipment being deployed in a narrow mountain gorge. News18 described the tremor as a 5.0-magnitude earthquake at 10 km depth and said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage following the earthquake.
Rescue, Monitoring, and Names
Rescue and recovery operations in Tibet have been complicated by extensive damage to infrastructure and by geography, with CCTV reporting that persistent rainfall has hampered operations in a narrow mountain gorge surrounded by unstable cliffs and a fast-flowing river. News18 said river speeds had reached 6 to 7 metres per second, making it difficult for excavators and repair crews to maintain their positions, and it reported that China Anneng deployed 158 personnel and 33 pieces of heavy equipment. The same News18 report said a Chinese water resources ministry official warned that the crater created by the glacier collapse held water equivalent to around 260 Olympic swimming pools and that such formations are “structurally very loose and can easily fail because of prolonged saturation and erosion from water,” according to CCTV.
In Nepal, The Times of India said the flash flood death toll had risen to 1,252 while around 4,216 people remained missing or out of contact, citing the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) update on Thursday. The Times of India also quoted Nepal foreign minister Shisir Khanal describing the disaster as a “Himalayan Tsunami” while briefing diplomats in Kathmandu on Thursday.
What’s at Risk Next
While the earthquake itself was not immediately linked to casualties or damage, the sources describe ongoing risks tied to the earlier glacier collapse and the barrier lakes formed on the Tibetan side after debris blocked waterways. News18 said officials warned that the danger has not completely passed, with landslides or another glacier collapse potentially creating new blockages and triggering sudden flooding, even as some lakes began draining naturally. The Times of India reported that the immediate danger from two barrier lakes near the border had passed after they drained, but said the terrain remains unstable and is being closely watched.
The Times of India added that rescue efforts have increasingly centered on hydropower tunnels, and it quoted Nepal Electricity Authority board member Amshu Kiran Shahi telling Reuters, “We are very confident that there is life in there because ... there is food and water in the building.” Reuters was also cited by The Times of India for a plan to rebuild an early-warning system for landslides along part of Nepal’s border with China, with the new system expected to include seismic sensors, cameras and a satellite link.