Magnitude 7 earthquake strikes Tibet, China: at least 16 dead and 65 injured

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook northern Tibet, China, on Thursday night, leaving at least 16 people dead and 65 injured, the local government reported on Friday.

The quake was recorded at 10:33 p.m. local time on Thursday, October 22, with its epicenter in Baqên county, within the city of Nagqu, a high-altitude, sparsely populated area, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which placed the focus 191 kilometers east-northeast of Nagqu at a depth of 18 kilometers.

Authorities counted at least 339 homes destroyed or damaged and 20 livestock sheds, and more than 12,000 people were safely relocated, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

China's Seismic Networks Center recorded 413 aftershocks through Friday morning; the strongest reached a magnitude of 4.3. The country's Seismological Administration activated Level II national emergency response for seismic disasters.

More than 300 police officers and rescue workers were sent to the epicenter, supported by reconnaissance drones and field medical teams. Authorities dispatched 1,000 prefabricated housing units, about 3,000 tents, folding beds, quilts and stoves, Nagqu's police department reported.

Extreme cold, snow and winds on the Tibetan plateau, along with icy roads and rockslides, are hampering access for rescue teams and the delivery of supplies.

It is the strongest earthquake to strike China since January 2024, when a magnitude 7.1 quake hit the northwestern region of Xinjiang. The casualty figures are preliminary and the disaster assessment continues, Nagqu's emergency office said.

Photo: Asia Daily

Source: Reuters.