A powerful earthquake struck northern Tibet late Thursday, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens of others, Chinese state media reported. The quake, measured at magnitude 7.0, struck at 10:33 p.m. local time in Baqên County, Nagqu — about 190 kilometers east-northeast of the city of Nagqu and 390 kilometers northeast of Lhasa, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
State broadcaster CCTV reported 46 people injured, 11 of them seriously; an earlier figure from the regional emergency bureau put the injured at 32, and the count remained unsettled as rescue work continued. Local authorities said at least 339 houses and 20 livestock sheds collapsed. The quake was shallow — about 10 kilometers deep by Chinese authorities’ measure, about 18 kilometers by the USGS figure.
China activated a Level-III earthquake emergency response. More than 300 police were dispatched, regional fire and rescue services mobilized 347 personnel, and some counts put rescue personnel in the region at more than 1,600 in total. Power and telecommunications were disrupted, and rockfalls closed sections of National Highway 317.
The earthquake, in brief
- Magnitude 7.0, Thursday 10:33 p.m. local time, Baqên County, Nagqu, northern Tibet (USGS)
- At least 16 killed; injured reported at 32 to 46 (11 seriously, per CCTV) — counts unsettled
- At least 339 houses and 20 livestock sheds collapsed
- Level-III emergency response; 1,600+ rescue personnel reported; National Highway 317 sections closed by rockfalls
- Context: the January 2025 Tingri County quake in Tibet killed at least 126
The region knows this ground. In January 2025, an earthquake in Tibet’s Tingri County killed at least 126 people — the disaster this week’s response is measured against.
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