Tibet earthquake kills 16, injures 32, destroys 339 homes

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake in China’s Tibet region on Thursday night has killed at least 16 people, injured 32, and destroyed 339 homes, Chinese state media reported. The quake’s epicentre was in Baqên County, Nagqu region, approximately 400km northeast of Tibet’s capital, Lhasa.Xinhua, China’s state news agency, reported the casualty and damage figures. The Nagqu City Emergency Management Bureau stated that 11 of the injured are in serious condition, while 21 sustained minor injuries.Authorities have declared an emergency and deployed rescue teams to the affected area. However, rockfalls have closed roads, hindering access for rescue crews.The China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC) reported the earthquake struck at around 10:33 PM on October 22, 2026, at a depth of 10km. The US Geological Survey (USGS) placed the depth at 18km (11 miles). The epicentre is in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area, with an average elevation of about 4,864m within 5km of the epicentre, according to CENC data.Following the main tremor, a series of smaller aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 3 to 4, were recorded in surrounding regions.This earthquake is the strongest to hit China since January 2024 and the largest in the Tibet region in the past five years.Local fire and rescue teams have mobilised and are heading to the affected region. Police and fire department rescue teams are setting up tents to shelter people displaced by the earthquake. Power in the affected region has been largely cut off, further complicating relief efforts.The Nagqu City Media Office is currently assessing the full extent of the damage.The earthquake comes less than two months after devastating floods and landslides, triggered by a glacier collapse, killed over 1,400 people in the Nepal-Tibet border region in August 2026. Hundreds more remain missing from that disaster.In 2010, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai province, killed at least 2,698 people and left nearly 300 missing.Nepal’s embassy or government has not yet issued an official statement regarding the earthquake. According to data from September 2020, approximately 130 Nepali migrant workers and 160 long-term Nepali residents live in Lhasa. Around 100 Nepalis reside in Shigatse city. A report from August 2015 indicated that about 2,000 Nepalis were working in various cities across Tibet.