Wednesday, January 8

We apologize that there was an issue with yesterday's daily update due to a blog issue. The article has been updated and the issue has been fixed. You can view the updated article here.

Over 126 people have been killed after a severe 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Tibet, and dozens of people are still trapped in the rubble.

The earthquake struck yesterday at 9:05 am local time in Tibet's Tingri County at a depth of around 6.2 miles, caused by the convergent plate boundary of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate near the Himalayas. Shallow earthquakes usually have less ground to travel through, making them stronger and allowing them to do more damage than deeper earthquakes.

The shaking was felt across the region, including various parts of Tibet and even into the neighboring Nepal and India. In addition, hundreds of small aftershocks have been reported, dozens of which have had a magnitude of over 3.0.

At least 126 were killed and an additional 188 were injured in the quake, which destroyed cars, homes, businesses, and roads. Video footage showed residents sprinting out of their homes to escape the danger, Thankfully, most of Tibet is uninhabited due to the remote, mountainous terrain, so the worst-hit region was only home to approximately 6,900 people. However, the shaking was also felt in faraway areas like Kathmandu, Nepal; Shiagatse, a holy city in Tibet; and the base camp of Mount Everest, which was relatively close to the epicenter.

Aid and supplies were quickly sent by China, along with tents and beds for citizens whose homes have been destroyed. Temperatures in the area are expected to drop below freezing over the course of this week, so residents will need to stay warm.

Search and rescue operations are also in high gear, with over 14,000 rescue workers working with locals to dig through the extensive rubble to find any survivors. According to local media, they have already rescued hundreds of people. Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed soldiers to prioritize search and rescue and keep citizens safe and warm before moving onto other cleanup tasks.

Fact of the Day: As human bodies decompose, the ligaments inside the body can shrivel up, causing the body to move up to one year after death.

Quote of the Day: We must let go of the life we have planned, as to accept the one that is waiting for us. (Joseph Campbell)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Beleaguer (verb, bih-LEE-gur) - To beleaguer a person, business, etc. is to cause them constant or repeated trouble. Beleaguer is also sometimes used as a synonym of besiege.

In a Sentence: The coach, beleaguered by the media and fans for his poor decision-making during games, has been fired.