Residents in Northern Tibet Brace for Snow After Magnitude 7.0 Quake Levels 339 Homes

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck northern Tibet on Thursday at 10:33 PM local time, killing at least 16 people and injuring 54. The US Geological Survey located the epicenter 119 miles east-northeast of Nagqu at a depth of 11 miles. Officials confirmed that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in the area.

The Nagqu media office stated that search and rescue operations continued through the night. CCTV described the event as the largest seismic event in the region in five years. Footage from national broadcasters showed workers evacating restaurants and goods falling from supermarket shelves. Rescuers were seen climbing through structures with collapsed roofs.

Local authorities mobilized a large workforce for the response. More than 1,600 people from the local county joined the effort. Xinhua reported that over 300 police officers and nearly 350 personnel from regional fire and rescue services were deployed to the scene.

Supply chains began moving heavy equipment into the zone. Aid packages included 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing. President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in rescue and medical relief.

Infrastructure faced immediate disruptions. Local railway authorities halted trains passing through the region as a precaution. Rockfalls closed a section of National Highway 317 to general traffic, allowing only emergency and official support vehicles to pass. Communications remained down in some affected areas on Friday.

Weather conditions are expected to complicate ongoing recovery work. Intermittent snow is forecast for the next three days. The quake occurred in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area. The US Geological Survey logged at least seven aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 5.2 at a depth of 6 miles.

Nagqu sits more than 185 miles north of Lhasa. The region has seen other deadly tremors in recent years. In January 2025, a quake in Tingri county killed at least 126 people. A December 2023 event in Gansu province resulted in at least 134 deaths, the highest toll in China since 2014.