NAGQU, China / AsiaWire.IO / – A magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked Tibet in southwestern China on Thursday night, resulting in at least 16 deaths and dozens of injuries, according to Xinhua News Agency. The tremor struck at 10:33 p.m. local time on October 22 in Baqên County, situated in the northern area of Nagqu near the Qinghai border. Over 300 homes were destroyed, the Nagqu emergency management office reported. Officials are still evaluating the full extent of the damage.
Both the United States Geological Survey and the China Earthquake Networks Center recorded the quake at magnitude 7.0. The USGS identified the epicenter approximately 191 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu city at a depth of 18 kilometres. The Chinese agency reported a depth of 10 kilometres. China’s state broadcaster CCTV stated that this was the largest earthquake in the region in the past five years.
Initial reports indicated 32 injuries, with 11 of them serious. As assessments continued, official updates increased the injury count. Local authorities confirmed that at least 339 homes collapsed and 20 livestock sheds sustained damage in Baqên County. Landslides blocked a section of National Highway 317, while ground fissures and damaged walls were observed in Maru Township.
Rescue efforts and relief supplies mobilized to assist the affected area
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management sent a disaster response team, raising the emergency level to Level III. Over 1,600 local personnel were deployed for rescue operations. Additionally, more than 300 soldiers from the Tibet Military Region and Tibet Armed Police Corps, along with 20 vehicles, were mobilized. Drones from the Western Theater Command conducted aerial surveys of the affected zone.
Relief shipments included 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents and folding beds, along with flashlights and winter clothing. Over 12,400 residents were evacuated from the danger zone. The quake hit a remote, high-altitude region where the average elevation is about 4,800 metres. Rescue teams worked overnight, setting up tents to shelter those displaced from their homes.
Repeated strong earthquakes threaten the Tibetan Plateau
The event was caused by normal faulting, aligning with ongoing east-west extension within the Tibetan Plateau. The quake’s epicenter is located in the Qiangtang Block, which has experienced five other earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1900. The largest was a magnitude 7.5 event on November 8, 1997. Western China, including Sichuan, also sees frequent seismic activity.
In January 2025, a magnitude 7.1 quake struck Dingri County in Tibet near Mount Everest, killing 126 people. The recent event follows a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Pakistan’s Balochistan earlier this month. Authorities in Nagqu continue to evaluate the damage and assist displaced residents. Further updates on casualties are anticipated as rescue efforts proceed.