Magnitude-7 quake in northern Tibet kills 16, levels 339 homes

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck northern Tibet on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring 54, according to Chinese official media. The seismic event, which occurred at 10.33pm local time, was logged by the US Geological Survey with an epicenter 119 miles east-northeast of the regional capital, Nagqu. The tremor originated at a depth of 11 miles in a sparsely populated, high-altitude zone, and was followed by at least seven aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.3 to 5.2.

Local authorities reported that at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in and around Nagqu. The Nagqu media office, citing city government officials, confirmed the structural damage while search and rescue operations continued. CCTV, China’s national broadcaster, identified the event as the strongest earthquake to hit the region in five years. Footage released by the network showed workers fleeing restaurants and goods falling from supermarket shelves as the ground shook. Rescuers were later seen climbing through buildings with collapsed roofs.

More than 1,600 personnel from the local county were deployed to assist with rescue efforts. Xinhua reported that over 300 police officers and nearly 350 fire and rescue personnel were sent to the area. Emergency supplies included 1,000 prefabricated housing units, 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing. On Friday, Xinhua stated that communications remained down in some affected areas. Local railway authorities halted trains passing through the region, and a section of National Highway 317 was closed to all traffic except emergency vehicles due to rockfalls.

President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in the rescue operation and medical relief work. Intermittent snow was forecast for the next three days, adding to the challenges faced by rescue teams. Nagqu is located more than 185 miles north of Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. The region is seismically active, having suffered a deadly quake in Tingri county in January 2025 that killed at least 126 people. A previous major earthquake in Gansu province in December 2023 claimed at least 134 lives, making it the deadliest in China since 2014.

Tibet has been under Chinese control since the 1950s and is one of the country's poorest regions. The area has a predominantly ethnic Tibetan population with a historically tense relationship with Beijing. In August, a disastrous flood hit the border of Tibet and Nepal, but restricted media access obscured the scale of the damage on the Tibetan side.