NAGQU, China / AsiaWire.IO / – At least 16 individuals lost their lives, and more than 300 residences were demolished following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Tibet on Thursday night, according to Xinhua News Agency. The emergency management office in Nagqu reported that dozens of people sustained injuries. The tremor hit at 10:33 p.m. local time on October 22 in Baqên County, near Tibet’s border with Qinghai Province. Authorities are still evaluating the full scope of the destruction.
Both the China Earthquake Networks Center and the United States Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 7.0. The USGS indicated the epicenter was roughly 191 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu city, at a depth of 18 kilometres. Chinese officials, however, measured the depth at 10 kilometres. CCTV described this as the strongest earthquake in the region in five years.
Local authorities confirmed that at least 339 homes have been destroyed, and 20 livestock sheds damaged in Baqên County. Initial reports indicated 32 injuries, including 11 classified as serious, though subsequent updates from state media reported higher figures. Landslides blocked parts of National Highway 317. In Maru Township, buildings collapsed, ground fissures appeared, and walls suffered damage.
Over 12,400 residents evacuated amid large-scale response
In response to the quake, authorities evacuated more than 12,400 residents. The Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a disaster response team and elevated the emergency alert to Level III. Over 1,600 local personnel participated in rescue efforts, supported by more than 300 troops and armed police units operating 20 vehicles. Military drones conducted reconnaissance flights over the affected zone.
Relief supplies included approximately 1,000 prefabricated housing units, around 3,000 tents and folding beds, as well as flashlights and winter clothing. Police and fire rescue teams established tents to shelter those displaced by the quake. The epicenter lies in a sparsely populated northern Tibet region, at an average altitude of about 4,800 metres. Search and rescue activities continued through the night.
Normal faulting explains the Qiangtang Block earthquake
Seismologists have attributed the quake to normal faulting, indicating east-west extension of the Tibetan Plateau. The event took place in the Qiangtang Block, an area that has experienced five other earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater since 1900, including a magnitude 7.5 event in November 1997. Earthquakes are frequent across western China, with recent tremors occurring in Sichuan.
Tibet endured a deadly magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Dingri County in January 2025, which resulted in 126 fatalities. Earlier this October, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Pakistan’s Balochistan province. Officials in Nagqu continue to assess damages and coordinate relief efforts for those affected. The casualty figures may change as rescue operations continue.