A 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Tibet leaves at least 16 dead and more than 300 homes destroyed as China launches a large-scale rescue operation
The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 10:33 p.m. (local time), was located approximately 118 miles east-northeast of Nagqu and about 242 miles northeast of Lhasa, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck a remote area of Tibet in southwestern China on Thursday night, leaving at least 16 dead and dozens injured. Beijing ordered an emergency response "at full speed" as rescue teams searched for survivors among more than 300 collapsed or damaged homes.
The earthquake and the damage
The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 10:33 p.m. (local time), was located approximately 118 miles east-northeast of Nagqu and about 242 miles northeast of Lhasa, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
According to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, as cited by AFP, 339 homes collapsed or were damaged, along with at least 20 barns. More than 12,000 residents were evacuated, and authorities reported power and telecommunications outages in the county seat.
The number of injured has fluctuated as rescue teams continue their work: Xinhua reported as many as 76 injured, 11 of them seriously, while other official media outlets cited 54 or 65 injured. The death toll remained at 16 in the latest updates.
A high-altitude rescue operation
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered "all-out efforts" to search for survivors, treat the injured, and minimize casualties. Xinhua noted that the earthquake caused "significant casualties" in a high-altitude area with low temperatures, factors that complicate both the rescue effort and the sheltering of displaced people.
Authorities mobilized hundreds of firefighters, police officers, and military personnel, along with trained dogs and heavy equipment to search through the rubble. The National Fire and Rescue Corps dispatched 350 personnel and 83 vehicles, while the municipal rescue brigade deployed 25 vehicles and 110 people.
Beijing allocated 50 million yuan—about 7.5 million dollars—for emergency aid, in addition to another 30 million for recovery efforts. Among the supplies sent were 1,000 prefabricated homes, 3,239 tents, folding beds, and blankets.
A territory difficult to verify
China is a seismically active country. In January 2025, an earthquake in Tingri County, also in Tibet, left at least 126 people dead. The 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province left approximately 90,000 people dead or missing, according to official figures.
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