NAGQU, China / AsiaWire.IO / – A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Tibet in southwestern China on Thursday night, resulting in at least 16 fatalities and injuring dozens, according to Xinhua News Agency. The tremor occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time on October 22 in Baqên County, located in the northern part of Nagqu near the Qinghai border. Over 300 homes were destroyed, as per the Nagqu emergency management office. Authorities are still evaluating the full extent of the damage.
Both the United States Geological Survey and the China Earthquake Networks Center measured the quake at magnitude 7.0. The USGS identified the epicenter approximately 191 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu city at a depth of 18 kilometres, while Chinese officials reported a depth of 10 kilometres. China’s national broadcaster CCTV declared it was the strongest earthquake in the region over the past five years.
Initial reports indicated 32 people were injured, 11 of them seriously. As assessments continued, official updates from state media increased the injury count. Local officials confirmed that at least 339 homes collapsed, and 20 livestock sheds sustained damage in Baqên County. Landslides blocked parts of National Highway 317, and cracks in the ground along with damaged walls were observed in Maru Township.
Rescue efforts and relief supplies mobilized to quake-hit area
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management activated a disaster response team, elevating the emergency level to Level III. Over 1,600 local rescue personnel have been deployed, along with more than 300 members of the Tibet Military Region and Tibet Armed Police Corps, supported by 20 vehicles. Aerial reconnaissance was carried out using drones from the Western Theater Command.
Relief efforts included the delivery of 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents and folding beds, along with flashlights and winter clothing. Over 12,400 residents were evacuated from the affected area. The quake struck a remote, high-altitude region with an average elevation of about 4,800 metres. Rescue teams worked overnight to construct tents and provide shelter for those displaced from their homes.
Frequent seismic activity in the Tibetan Plateau region
The earthquake was caused by normal faulting, aligned with ongoing east-west extension within the Tibetan Plateau. The epicenter is situated in the Qiangtang Block, which has experienced five other earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater since 1900, the largest being a magnitude 7.5 event on November 8, 1997. Seismic activity remains common across western China, including in Sichuan province.
In January 2025, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Dingri County in Tibet near Mount Everest, claiming 126 lives. The latest quake follows a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Pakistan’s Balochistan province earlier this month. Officials in Nagqu continue to evaluate damages and assist displaced residents. More updates on casualties are anticipated as rescue operations persist.