Tibet Earthquake: 7.0-Magnitude Quake Kills 16, Destroys 339 Homes — Rescue Underway

LHASA: A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the remote highlands of Tibet on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens, Chinese state media reported on Friday. The quake hit at 10:33 pm local time (14:33 GMT), its epicentre in Maru township in Baqen county of Nagqu city.

The quake’s shape

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) placed the epicentre about 190 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu and 390 kilometres northeast of the regional capital, Lhasa, in a mountainous, sparsely populated area. The USGS put the depth at 18 kilometres; Chinese assessments described an extremely shallow quake at around 10 kilometres. State broadcaster CCTV called it the strongest earthquake to hit the area in five years.

The human toll

Reports on the injured differ: CCTV put the figure at 46, with 11 seriously hurt, while a Friday statement from the local government raised it to 65. At least 339 houses were flattened or badly damaged, along with 20 livestock shelters. Electricity and telephone services collapsed in the county seat, and train services through the quake-hit areas were suspended. Level-II earthquake disaster emergency response was activated.

Rescue in the cold

More than 300 police officers, 347 fire and rescue personnel and over 1,600 people from the local county were dispatched to the epicentre. Relief supplies included 1,000 prefabricated housing units, some 3,000 tents and folding beds, flashlights and winter clothing; so far 12,489 residents have been evacuated to safer places. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out rescue and medical efforts. Tibet is no stranger to such devastation — in January 2025, a quake in the rural Tingri county killed at least 126 people.