NAGQU, China / AsiaWire.IO / – At least 16 people lost their lives, and over 300 homes were destroyed after a magnitude 7.0 quake struck Tibet on Thursday night, according to Xinhua News Agency. Citing Nagqu’s emergency management office, Xinhua reported dozens of injuries. The earthquake occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time on October 22 in Baqên County, near Tibet’s border with Qinghai Province. The full scope of the destruction remains under assessment.
Both the China Earthquake Networks Center and the United States Geological Survey confirmed a magnitude of 7.0. The USGS indicated the epicenter was approximately 191 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu city, at a depth of 18 kilometres. Chinese authorities reported a depth of 10 kilometres. CCTV described this event as the strongest earthquake in the region in five years.
Local officials reported that at least 339 homes collapsed and 20 livestock sheds suffered damage in Baqên County. Initial reports listed 32 injured, with 11 in critical condition. Later updates from state media increased this number. Landslides blocked part of National Highway 317. In Maru Township, buildings, walls, and ground cracks were observed.
Over 12,400 residents evacuated in response
More than 12,400 residents were moved to safety as authorities launched a major rescue effort. The Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a disaster response team and elevated the emergency level to Level III. Over 1,600 local personnel are involved in rescue work, supported by more than 300 troops and armed police with 20 vehicles. Military drones are surveying the affected zones.
Relief supplies included about 1,000 prefabricated housing units, roughly 3,000 tents, folding beds, flashlights, and winter clothing. Police and fire teams set up tents to shelter those displaced by the quake. The quake’s epicenter is located in a remote part of northern Tibet at an average elevation of around 4,800 metres. Rescue efforts continued through the night.
Normal faulting linked to Qiangtang Block seismic activity
Seismologists connected the quake to normal faulting, indicating east-west extension of the Tibetan Plateau. The event occurred in the Qiangtang Block, which has experienced five other earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1900. The largest was a magnitude 7.5 in November 1997. Earthquakes are frequent across western China, including recent tremors in Sichuan.
Tibet faced a deadly magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Dingri County in January 2025, resulting in 126 deaths. In South Asia, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Pakistan’s Balochistan province earlier this October. Officials in Nagqu are still evaluating damages and providing aid for those affected. The casualty count may change as rescue operations continue.