Tremors from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake were reported in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, where buildings were shaking.

epa08810060 People walk on a premises of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse city, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, 18 October 2020. The picture was taken during a media tour to Tibet organized by the Chinese government that focused on China's poverty alleviation program for the region. The natural beauty of Tibet, the thousand-year-old Himalayan roof of the world, still dazzles the few visitors who are allowed in. But today, in many places, bulldozers, highways, and modern apartment towers have replaced the grazing yaks and the chanting Buddhist monks. According to the Beijing government, extreme poverty - an endemic problem in Tibet, where pastoralism has traditionally been the sole source of income for most people - has been eradicated. In recent years, the central government has made colossal investments in Tibet, both in infrastructure and poverty reduction programs. Since 2016, Beijing has invested 74.85 billion yuan (USD 11.1 billion) in projects to improve access to health, education, clean water, housing, or infrastructure in the region's poorest areas. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
People visit Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse city, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, in 2020 [Roman Pilipey/EPA]

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake has hit Tibet’s Shigatse city, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The earthquake struck at 9:05am local time (01:05 GMT) at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), according to a separate notice from the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

Powerful tremors were also felt in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, some 400km (250 miles) away, according to Indian media, where residents reportedly ran from their houses.

The US Geological Survey placed the epicentre of the quake near Lobuche in Nepal, along the mountainous border with Tibet in China.

Buildings were reported shaking in Kathmandu, roughly 150km (93 miles) to the southeast of Lobuche.

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