Tibet earthquake kills 16, destroys 339 homes in Nagqu
The magnitude 7 quake struck at 10:33 p.m. on Thursday, triggering rockfalls and halting railway traffic in the high-altitude region.
By Pedro Barnes ·
At least 16 people died and 46 were injured when a magnitude 7 earthquake struck northern Tibet on Thursday evening, according to Chinese official media.
The Nagqu media office said 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in the area. Of the injured, 11 are in serious condition and 35 have minor injuries. Rescue operations remain active, with more than 1,600 local county personnel deployed to the site.
Relief supplies have arrived in the region, including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, folding beds, flashlights, and winter clothing. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake at 10:33 p.m. local time with a depth of 18 kilometers.
The epicenter was located 191 kilometers east-northeast of Nagqu in a sparsely populated, high-altitude zone. Nagqu sits more than 300 kilometers north of Lhasa, the regional capital. Xinhua reported that communication outages occurred in parts of the area, prompting railway authorities to stop trains from passing through.
Rockfalls forced officials to close a segment of National Highway 317. Only emergency, rescue, and official support vehicles are permitted through while crews clear debris. China's national broadcaster CCTV called this the largest earthquake in the region in five years.
Intermittent snow is expected across the quake zone over the next three days, which may complicate ongoing recovery efforts. Local authorities continue to coordinate the distribution of supplies and the search for survivors.
