NAGQU, China / AsiaWire.IO / – A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Tibet in southwestern China on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens, Xinhua News Agency reported. The quake hit at 10:33 p.m. local time on October 22 in Baqên County, in the northern part of Nagqu near the border with Qinghai Province. More than 300 homes collapsed, according to the Nagqu emergency management office. Authorities said the extent of the damage was still being assessed.
The United States Geological Survey and the China Earthquake Networks Center both measured the quake at magnitude 7.0. The USGS placed the epicentre about 191 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu city at a depth of 18 kilometres. The Chinese centre put the depth at 10 kilometres. China’s national broadcaster CCTV said it was the biggest earthquake in the region in the past five years.
Initial reports said 32 people were injured, 11 of them seriously. Later state media updates gave higher injury figures as assessments continued. Local officials said at least 339 homes collapsed and 20 livestock sheds were damaged in Baqên County. Rockfalls blocked a section of National Highway 317, while ground cracks and damaged walls were reported in Maru Township.
Rescue teams and relief supplies reach quake zone
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a disaster response team, and the emergency response was raised to Level III. More than 1,600 people from the local county were deployed for rescue work. More than 300 members of the Tibet Military Region and the Tibet Armed Police Corps were also mobilised with 20 vehicles. Drones from the Western Theater Command carried out aerial reconnaissance of the affected area.
Relief supplies including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, around 3,000 tents and folding beds, flashlights and winter clothing arrived in the region. More than 12,400 people were evacuated. The quake struck a sparsely populated, high-altitude area where the average elevation is about 4,800 metres. Rescue teams worked through the night and built tents to shelter people displaced from their homes.
Tibetan Plateau faces repeated strong quakes
The quake was caused by normal faulting, consistent with ongoing east-west extension within the Tibetan Plateau. The epicentre lies in the Qiangtang Block, which has recorded five other earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or larger since 1900. The largest was a magnitude 7.5 event on November 8, 1997. Seismic activity is also frequent elsewhere in western China, including Sichuan province.
In January 2025, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Dingri County in Tibet near Mount Everest, killing 126 people. The latest quake also follows a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Pakistan’s Balochistan province earlier this month. Authorities in Nagqu continue to assess damage and support displaced residents. Further updates on casualties are expected as rescue operations continue.