Nagqu officials deploy 1,600 workers to clear debris after 7.0 magnitude quake
At least 16 people died and 339 homes collapsed in northern Tibet, with snow expected to complicate rescue efforts over the next three days.
By Thiago Kovalenko ·
Snowfall is expected to complicate rescue operations in northern Tibet, where a magnitude 7 earthquake struck on Thursday evening and killed at least 16 people. The seismic event, the strongest in the region in five years according to state broadcaster CCTV, left 46 others injured, with 11 of those victims in serious condition.
Local authorities in Nagqu confirmed that 339 residential structures and 20 livestock sheds had collapsed. The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicenter 191 kilometers east-northeast of the city at a depth of 18 kilometers. The quake occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area more than 300 kilometers north of Lhasa.
More than 1,600 workers from the local county were dispatched to the site to conduct search and rescue missions. Relief convoys have already delivered 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, folding beds, flashlights, and winter clothing to the affected zone.
Infrastructure damage has disrupted regional logistics. Xinhua News Agency reported that communication systems were down in parts of the area, prompting railway authorities to halt train traffic through the region. A section of National Highway 317 was closed due to rockfalls, allowing only emergency and support vehicles to pass while crews clear the road.
The Nagqu media office stated that search and rescue operations remained active as of Friday. Intermittent snow is forecast for the coming days, which officials say may hinder the pace of debris removal and the distribution of aid to displaced residents.
Residents in the hardest-hit areas have been moved into the newly arrived tents and prefabricated units. The city government continues to assess the extent of the damage to roads and buildings in the high-altitude terrain.
