A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck China’s remote Tibet region on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and collapsing hundreds of homes, according to Chinese state media and local officials.1,2,3,4
The quake struck at 10:33 p.m. local time, the United States Geological Survey said, and its epicentre lay in a mountainous area about 190 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu and 390 kilometres northeast of the regional capital, Lhasa. It struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres. Chinese state television said it was the strongest quake to hit the remote Himalayan region in five years.1,3,4
CBS News, citing local officials, reported that more than a dozen people had been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed, and gave the epicentre as 119 miles east-northeast of Nagqu, in what it described as a sparsely populated, high-altitude area of northern Tibet. The same report gave the death toll as at least 16, the figure Chinese state media had also reported.4
The reports differ on the number of injured. France 24, citing Xinhua, said 32 more people were injured. DW put the figure at 65, citing Chinese state media, and CBS News reported 54 injured, also citing Chinese state media. The reports do not explain the differences between those figures.1,3,4
The count of collapsed buildings also varies in detail. France 24 said more than 300 houses collapsed and that officials were still evaluating the damage. DW reported that at least 339 residential buildings and 20 livestock sheds had collapsed, according to local government officials cited by state media. CBS News gave the same figures, attributing them to the Nagqu media office, which cited city government officials.1,3,4
The local media office said 11 of the injured were in serious condition, and CBS News reported that the other 35 had sustained minor injuries. Those figures account for 46 of the 54 injured that CBS News gave in total, and the reports do not say what happened to the remaining eight.3,4
The epicentre was located in Maru township in Baqen county, according to Xinhua. Township deputy head Lhawang Dagpo said the quake was clearly felt at the township office, which sustained cracks in the walls. Power and telecoms services were disrupted in the county seat, the agency said. Earthquakes are relatively common in China, and in January 2025 at least 126 people were killed in an earthquake in Tibet’s rural Tingri county.1
A level-II earthquake disaster emergency response was activated in the area, Xinhua said. Firefighters were deployed to help with disaster relief efforts, and CBS News reported that search and rescue efforts continued after the collapse of the buildings. Officials had not yet finished assessing the damage when the reports were filed.1,3,4
State broadcaster CCTV said the earthquake was the most powerful to hit China since January 2024. The reports did not say how many people were missing, and they did not describe the full extent of the damage to roads, power lines or other infrastructure in the area.3
The reports did not say when officials expected to complete their assessment of the damage. Relief work was continuing in the area, and Xinhua said officials were still evaluating the damage.1
Xi Jinping has ordered “all-out search and rescue efforts” to locate missing people, provide “prompt medical treatment for the injured” and called for “every effort to minimize casualties,” Xinhua said.3
