Kathmandu : A 7.1-magnitude earthquake, with its epicentre in Tibet’s Shigatse city, shook several parts of Nepal, including the Kathmandu Valley, on Tuesday morning.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, the earthquake had a depth of 10 km, Reuters reported.

The tremor was felt at 6:51 am, prompting residents to rush out of their homes. No damage or casualties have been reported in Nepal so far.

Senior seismologist at the Center, Dr Lok Bijaya Adhikari, has said that the earthquake might have caused damages in the eastern hilly districts of Nepal since this is a high-magnitude quake.

“There is a high possibility that this earthquake may have caused damages in Nepal. Damages may have occurred in the Nepali territory near Tibet, especially in eastern hilly districts of Nepal,” he told Nepalkhabar, “The earthquake’s tremors have been felt even more in the area east of Kathmandu.”

Earthquakes have been occurring in Nepal for the last few days. Earlier, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake had struck in Mugu district on January 3.

Similarly, an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale struck with its epicenter at Majhitar in Sindhupalchowk district on January 2.  

Likewise, on December 31, a 4.6-magnitude quake rocked Baitadi, a hilly district in Sudurpaschim Province.

Nepal lies in a fault zone as the Indian plate is constantly pushing against the Eurasian (Tibetan) plate, resulting in seismic activities in the Himalayan country, said Geographer Ganesh Kumar Jimee.

Jimee further said Nepal lies between the two tectonic plates — Indian plate and the Eurasian Plate — and their constant push against each other is creating energy. When the energy gets accumulated and strained, it releases in the form of seismic waves.