Tibet Earthquake Kills 16 and Destroys Hundreds of Homes

Tibet Earthquake Kills 16 and Destroys Hundreds of Homes

A powerful magnitude 7 earthquake struck southwestern China’s Tibet autonomous region late Thursday evening, killing at least 16 people and destroying hundreds of residential structures in a high-altitude zone. The disaster struck at 10:33 p.m. local time near the northern regional city of Nagqu, with its epicenter located in Maru township within Baqen county. Official state media and local authorities confirmed the casualty figures while search and rescue teams deployed across the mountainous plateau.

Disaster response agencies and state media reported conflicting figures for injuries in the immediate aftermath, with state broadcaster CCTV placing the injured at 65, while local authorities cited by other outlets reported 54 or 46 injured residents, including 11 in serious condition. The United States Geological Survey recorded the epicenter roughly 183 to 191 kilometers east-northeast of Nagqu at a shallow depth ranging between 10 kilometers and 18 kilometers, putting the location approximately 390 kilometers northeast of Tibet's capital, Lhasa. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that this was the most powerful earthquake to hit the region in five years.

The sudden tremor sent residents fleeing into the streets in the dark. My legs were shaking the entire time I was heading downstairs and by the time I reached the bottom, I was so terrified that I burst into tears, one resident told local media after rushing outside without time to dress, as reported by UCA News. Another resident told the Beijing News that the tremor left their home creaking and rattling before they drove to an open area to sleep in a car. Videos captured by state media showed diners rushing out of restaurants, items tumbling from wobbling supermarket shelves, and emergency personnel clambering over collapsed roofs with flashlights.

Rescue Operations and Mounting Aftershocks

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered immediate all-out rescue efforts and comprehensive medical emergency responses, stating that the tremor caused significant casualties in a high-altitude, cold-weather location. In response, the Ministry of Emergency Management upgraded China's national earthquake emergency response from Level IV to Level III on Friday, dispatching a work team to guide relief operations. Local authorities confirmed that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed or sustained heavy damage during the initial shock across sparsely populated mountain communities.

Emergency management agencies mobilized more than 1,600 search and rescue personnel, including 350 rescuers and 83 vehicles from China's National Fire and Rescue Force, 347 personnel from the regional fire and rescue corps, 225 officers and soldiers from the Nagqu Armed Police Detachment with 18 vehicles, and more than 300 police officers. Relief supplies poured into the affected zone, including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, over 3,000 tents, folding beds, quilts, generators, flashlights, and winter clothing. Police officers and relief workers loaded supplies into trucks in the dark and helped residents move to safer locations, with Xinhua reporting that more than 12,000 people were safely relocated.

The seismic hazard intensified as geological agencies recorded extensive aftershock activity. While the US Geological Survey recorded at least seven aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.3 and 5.2 at a depth of 10 kilometers, the China Earthquake Networks Center recorded a staggering 413 aftershocks. The ongoing tremors triggered severe mountain rockfalls that forced authorities to close a section of National Highway 317, permitting only emergency and official support vehicles through as crews cleared heavy debris. Local railway authorities suspended train services through the region to prevent accidents, and communications networks suffered partial disruptions, leaving several remote villages temporarily isolated.

Vulnerable Terrain and Winter Weather Complications

Rescue teams face severe environmental hurdles as intermittent snow is forecast across the earthquake zone over the subsequent three days. Freezing temperatures and steep, high-altitude terrain complicate relief delivery and search operations across remote mountain areas where residents generally live in structures vulnerable to earthquake shaking. The US Geological Survey issued a yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and an orange alert for economic losses, warning that significant damage was likely across a widespread impact zone, though estimated economic losses would remain under 1 percent of China's gross domestic product.

The disaster revives memories of prior seismic catastrophes across the region. In January 2025, at least 126 people were killed in an earthquake in rural Tingri county, while a 2010 magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Yushu in neighboring Qinghai province, killing at least 2,698 people. The latest crisis also follows severe flooding and landslides near the Nepal-Tibet border that killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing in recent years.