Winter Gear Reaches Nagqu as 339 Homes Collapse After 7.0 Quake

Rescue teams in northern Tibet are battling winter weather following a magnitude-7 earthquake that struck at 10:33 pm local time on Thursday. At least 16 people died and 54 were injured in the tremor, which the US Geological Survey recorded at a depth of 11 miles.

The epicenter was located 119 miles east-north-east of Nagqu, a regional city in a high-altitude area. Local authorities confirmed that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed. CCTV identified the event as the strongest earthquake in the region in five years.

Over 1,600 local workers were deployed to aid in search and rescue. Xinhua reported that more than 300 police officers and nearly 350 fire and rescue personnel joined the effort. Emergency supplies arrived at the site, including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, roughly 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing.

Logistical challenges have slowed the response. Communications failed in some affected zones, and railway authorities halted train traffic to inspect lines. A rockfall closed a section of National Highway 317, restricting access to emergency vehicles while crews cleared the road. Interim snow is forecast for the next three days, adding to the difficulty of moving supplies.

Footage from the scene showed workers fleeing restaurants and rescuers climbing through structures with collapsed roofs. The USGS logged seven aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 5.2, all at a depth of 6 miles.

President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out effort for rescue and medical relief. Nagqu is situated 185 miles north of Lhasa. The region has experienced severe seismic events in recent years, including a quake in Tingri county in January 2025 that killed at least 126 people.

The 2026 event follows a pattern of deadly tremors in China. A December 2023 quake in Gansu province killed at least 134 people, while a 2014 event in Yunnan province claimed more than 600 lives.