Earthquake Flattens 339 Homes in Nagqu

At least 339 homes collapsed in and around Nagqu after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck northern Tibet at 10:33 p.m. on Thursday. Chinese official media reported that 16 people died and 54 were injured. The Nagqu media office said the disaster also destroyed 20 livestock sheds. Search and rescue operations continued into Friday.

The US Geological Survey located the epicenter 119 miles east-north-east of Nagqu. The tremor occurred at a depth of 11 miles in a sparsely populated, high-altitude region. The agency recorded seven aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 4.3 to 5.2. Each aftershock struck at a depth of 6 miles. CCTV described the event as the largest quake in the area in five years.

Videos from the national broadcaster showed the immediate impact of the shaking. Workers fled restaurants while goods fell from supermarket shelves. Rescuers were seen climbing through buildings with collapsed roofs. More than 1,600 local county workers joined the relief effort. Xinhua reported that over 300 police officers and nearly 350 fire and rescue personnel were deployed to the site.

Supplies reached the region to aid the displaced population. Authorities sent 1,000 prefabricated housing units and approximately 3,000 tents. The shipment also included folding beds, torches, and winter clothing. These items arrived as intermittent snow was forecast for the next three days.

Local railway authorities halted trains passing through the area on Friday. Rockfalls closed a section of National Highway 317 to all traffic except emergency and official support vehicles. Crews worked to clear debris from the road. Communications remained down in some affected areas. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in rescue and medical relief.

Nagqu is located more than 185 miles north of Lhasa. Earthquakes occur frequently in China. In January 2025, at least 126 people died in a quake in Tingri county. In December 2023, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Gansu province killed at least 134 people. That event was China’s deadliest since 2014, when more than 600 people died in Yunnan province.