A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck northern Tibet on Thursday evening, killing at least 16 people and injuring 54, Chinese state media said. Local officials said hundreds of homes were destroyed.
The United States Geological Survey put the quake at 10:33 p.m. local time, with the epicenter 119 miles east-northeast of Nagqu, in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area. Nagqu sits more than 186 miles north of the regional capital, Lhasa. CCTV, China’s national broadcaster, called it the biggest earthquake in the region in the last five years.
Homes and livestock sheds collapsed
Search and rescue work was still under way after at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds fell, the Nagqu media office said, citing city government officials. Of the injured, 11 were in serious condition and 35 had minor injuries, according to the same office.
More than 1,600 people from the local county were sent to help with the rescue. Supplies reached the area quickly: 1,000 prefabricated housing units, around 3,000 tents and folding beds, plus flashlights and winter clothing.
Depth estimates differ
Agencies disagree on how deep the rupture was. The USGS put it at 11 miles, while Xinhua, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center, gave a shallower 6.2 miles.
The quake came less than two months after another disaster in a border region of Nepal and Tibet that left hundreds of people dead. Authorities said that earlier event was caused by the collapse of a glacier.
A high plateau
Tibet is the highest region on Earth, with an average elevation of 4,380 meters. Mount Everest, at 8,848 meters, is its highest point. Tourism has made services the largest part of the local economy, at 50.1% of GDP in 2020, and around 70 million tourists visited in 2025.
Sources
- Tibet
- At least 16 people killed by powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Tibet, officials say
- At least 16 people killed by powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Tibet, officials say
Photo: Jan Kranendonk (https://www.jankranendonk.nl) (CC BY-SA 4.0)
