No major damage reported near epicenter: Government officials

KATHMANDU: A 7.1-magnitude earthquake, centered in China, struck on Tuesday morning, and authorities are currently collecting damage reports from nearby districts in Nepal.

The affected areas include Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha, Dolakha, and Taplejung, which are close to the epicenter.

According to senior district officials and police, no major damage reports have been received so far.

Dilkumar Tamang, Information Officer at the Ministry of Home Affairs, stated that they have gathered initial information from most of the northern districts. “We haven’t received any significant damage reports yet. We are continuing to gather information from the potentially affected areas,” he added.

Rupesh Vishwakarma, the Assistant Chief District Officer of Solukhumbu, reported that a strong tremor was felt in Salleri, but there have been no reports of human casualties. “We are still investigating if there is any damage. Our teams are out in the field,” he said. “No serious incidents have been reported so far.”

In Sankhuwasabha, no damage reports have been received either. Police Chief (DSP) Dakshakumar Basnet mentioned, “Wherever we have been in contact, there are no damage reports. There are areas with no communication, so we are unaware of the situation there.”

In Dolakha, Chhoroalpa Glacier and Lamabagar are considered high-risk areas. However, no reports of damage from the earthquake have been received, according to police spokesperson Dataram Adhikari.

Likewise, no damage reports have come in from Taplejung, although full communication is not yet confirmed across all regions.

The earthquake struck at 6:50 AM on Tuesday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) estimates that the earthquake may have impacted seven districts in Nepal.

The NDRRMA posted on social media, “A 7.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Dingyi County of China’s autonomous Zizhang region, near Nepal’s northeastern border. The earthquake may have affected the districts of Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu, Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk, Rasuwa, and northern Dhading in Nepal. Information is being gathered from district administration offices.”