At least 95 dead, scores injured in 6.8 magnitude earthquake near holy city in Tibet, Chinese media reports
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(TIBET) — At least 95 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured as a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Tibet’s holy city on Tuesday, according to Chinese state media.
The earthquake occurred in Dingri County, Shigatse City, Tibet, just after 9 a.m. with a focal depth of 10 kilometers, according to China Earthquake Networks Centre.
The U.S. Geological Survey placed the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.1, pinpointing the epicenter in Xizang, China, the local name for the Tibet Autonomous Region.
“The region near the India and Eurasia plate boundary has a history of large earthquakes,” the USGS said in a summary of the quake. “In the past century, there have been 10 earthquakes of magnitude 6 and greater within 250 km of the January 7, 2025, earthquake.”
The Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s exiled spiritual leader, said in a statement that he was “saddened” to learn of the deadly earthquake.
“It has caused the tragic loss of many lives, numerous injuries, and extensive destruction to homes and property,” he said. “I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured.”
The Chinese media also reported that as of 10 a.m. local time, multiple aftershocks were recorded, the largest of which was 4.4.
The death toll had previously been reported at 53, with about 60 other injured.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(SEOUL, South Korea) — Seoul Western District Court on Tuesday night reissued a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The Corruption Investigation Office chief, Oh Dong-woon, said during a parliament hearing that they would “thoroughly prepare for the execution of arrest, as if it was the last chance.”
The effort to detain Yoon came after a South Korean court issued an arrest and search warrant on Dec. 31 over his short-lived imposition of martial law, ABC News confirmed. Yoon has been suspended from his position since Dec. 14.
Yoon’s attorney told reporters Wednesday that he is still at his residence and is greatly disappointed to hear rumors saying he had fled. Opposition lawmakers had spread those rumors, the attorney said.
To prepare for another arrest attempt, the President’s Secret Service heightened surveillance near the Presidential residence, adding more chains to the barbed wire fence and blocking vehicles.
Yoon’s lawyer said he still strongly believes that the CIO’s execution of the arrest warrant is illegitimate, as the CIO lacks the authority to investigate insurrection. He also pointed out that the Seoul Western District Court, which reissued the arrest warrant, has no jurisdiction. Nevertheless, he told reporters, the impeached president would stand trial if he were to be indicted.
Thousands had gathering on Sunday, a day before another arrest warrant for Yoon expired, near impeached the presidential residence
Protesters from both sides — one calling the warrant invalid or illegal and the other shouting for arrest — have occupied the wide four-lane road in a normally quiet neighborhood, blocking all traffic, in freezing temperatures and snow.
Yoon declared martial law in a televised speech on Dec. 3. The president said the measure was necessary due to the actions of the country’s liberal opposition, the Democratic Party, which he accused of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government.
Animosity has been sky-high between the two sides, after over 100 investigators from the CIO anti-corruption agency and the police retreated from the residence after a tense standoff with the presidential security service.
Yoon’s die-hard supporters have been camping on the street vowing to protect him from “pro-North Korean forces about to steal away the presidency.” Anti-Yoon protesters who are backing of the opposition party claim that Yoon must be jailed for insurrection.
ABC News’ Joohee Cho and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE – DECEMBER 31: Ukrainian soldiers watch the Zelensky New Years Eve address from their base in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on 31 December 2024. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that some 38,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded fighting in Russia’s western Kursk region since August, with Kyiv now launching a fresh offensive in the border region.
“We continue to maintain a buffer zone on Russian territory, actively destroying Russian military potential there,” Zelenskyy said in a statement posted to the presidency’s website.
Monday marked five months since Ukrainian units crossed into Kursk in a surprise summer 2024 offensive there. Russian forces — recently supported by North Korean troops — have since slowly been reclaiming ground in their bid to eject Ukrainian troops from the region.
On Sunday, Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed that Kyiv had launched a fresh offensive in Kursk, with fierce fighting reported in several villages.
“Since the beginning of the Kursk operation, the enemy has already lost over 38,000 troops in this area alone, including approximately 15,000 irrecoverable losses,” Zelenskyy said.
“The Russians have deployed their strong units to the Kursk region,” he added. “Soldiers from North Korea are involved there. What’s important is that the occupier cannot currently redirect all this force to other directions, in particular the Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, or Zaporizhzhia regions.”
“I thank all our warriors who are bringing the war back to Russia and providing Ukraine with greater security and strength,” Zelenskyy said.
Multiple Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian troops, tanks, armored vehicles and demining equipment attacked the villages of Berdin and Bolshoye Soldatskoye, north of Sudzha — the main administrative border town that Ukraine captured in August. Bloggers also reported an attack further west on the border town of Tetkino.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a Monday statement that two assaults were repelled. “The operation to destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces formations continues,” it wrote on Telegram.
The Institute for the Study of War think tank reported that Ukraine intensified its offensive operations in Kursk through Monday, with Russian forces elsewhere in the region launching their own fresh attacks on the Ukrainian salient.
The think tank reported “tactical advances” by Ukrainian troops in areas northeast of Sudzha, though the extent of their success remains unclear.
Andriy Yermak — the head of Zelenskyy’s presidential office — said in a Sunday post to Telegram there was “good news” from the Kursk battlefields, adding: “Russia is getting what it deserves.”
Ukraine launched its latest Kursk push just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has promised to end the war in 24 hours, repeatedly hinting at pressing Ukraine to make territorial and political concessions in exchange for peace.
Zelenskyy and his top officials have been working hard to build ties with the incoming administration and convince the president-elect of the need to support Ukraine and contain Russia.
Zelenskyy said on Monday that he “held a meeting with international relations officials to plan our meetings and negotiations for January.
“We are accelerating arms deliveries to Ukraine and working toward new and more long-term relations with partners,” he said. “We are preparing positive diplomatic news for Ukraine.”
Continued Ukrainian presence in Kursk may give Kyiv more leverage in peace talks with Moscow, with Russian troops still occupying around 25% of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory.
“We don’t need Russian territory, but we need our territories back,” Yehor Cherniev — a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chairman of his country’s delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly — told ABC News.
“This will probably be one of the positions for further negotiations,” Cherniev said.
ABC News’ Patrick Reevell and Natasha Popova contributed to this report.
(ALLAHABAD, INDIA) — At least 17 people were killed and over 30 have been injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world’s biggest gatherings that occurs every 12 years, authorities said.
The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place every dozen years in the Indian city of Prayagraj, about 90 miles west of the holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, when an estimated 100 million people gather to bathe in holy river waters at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati rivers. It is considered one of the most auspicious and holy dates on the Hindu calendar.
The stampede began in the early hours Wednesday morning, according to Indian officials. The death toll and numbers of those injured is expected to rise.
It was not immediately clear what triggered the panic at the festival but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “extremely sad” and extended his condolences to those affected.
“My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” Modi said in a post on X.
Modi added that he is in touch with his chief minister and other related authorities regarding the incident.
Authorities are expecting more than 100 million people to visit Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela — meaning “Festival of the Sacred Pitcher” — on Wednesday for the holy dip. It is regarded as a significant and auspicious day for Hindus due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies after 144 years.
Authorities have built a gigantic tent city on the banks of the rivers to accommodate the millions of pilgrims and tourists attending the festival — equipped with 3,000 kitchens, 150,000 toilets, roads, electricity, water, communication towers and 11 hospitals, according to the Associated Press.
An estimated 50,000 security personnel are also stationed in the city to help keep the peace as well as manage the tens of millions of people in the crowds.
ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian and Prashun Mazumdar contributed to this report.
