Nagqu authorities deploy 1,600 workers to clear rubble and deliver winter gear after 7.0 quake
The magnitude-7 tremor killed at least 16 people and collapsed 339 homes in northern Tibet, halting rail and road traffic as winter weather approaches.
By Tyler Khalil ·
A magnitude-7 earthquake struck northern Tibet on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring 54, according to Chinese official media. The tremor triggered widespread structural damage in and around Nagqu, a regional city located more than 185 miles north of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
The Nagqu media office reported that at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed. Search and rescue operations continued through the following day. CCTV, China's national broadcaster, identified the event as the most powerful seismic activity in the region in five years.
The US Geological Survey logged the quake at 10.33 p.m. local time on Thursday. The epicenter was situated 119 miles east-north-east of Nagqu in a sparsely populated, high-altitude zone. The fault rupture occurred at a depth of 11 miles. The agency recorded at least seven aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.3 to 5.2, each at a depth of 6 miles.
Local officials mobilized more than 1,600 workers from the county to assist with rescue efforts. Xinhua News Agency stated that over 300 police officers were assigned to relief duties, while regional fire and rescue services sent nearly 350 personnel to the site. Logistics teams transported 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing to the affected zones.
Infrastructure damage complicated the response. Xinhua reported that communications failed in parts of the region. Railway authorities halted all trains passing through the area. Rockfalls closed a section of National Highway 317, restricting access to emergency and official support vehicles while crews removed debris. Meteorologists forecast intermittent snow for the next three days, adding urgency to the distribution of winter supplies.
President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in rescue and medical relief. The region remains seismically active, with a history of major losses. In January 2025, a quake in Tingri county killed at least 126 people. In December 2023, a tremor in Gansu province killed at least 134, marking China's deadliest disaster since 2014.
