Tibet Quake: 339 Homes Collapse in Northern Region

A magnitude 7 earthquake killed at least 16 people in northern China on Thursday evening, triggering a widespread rescue operation in the high-altitude region of Nagqu.

Local officials reported that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed during the event. Forty-six people sustained injuries, with 11 of those victims in serious condition. The remaining 35 injured individuals suffered minor wounds. More than 1,600 personnel from the local county have been deployed to the site to assist with search and recovery efforts.

Relief logistics are currently active in the area. Aid workers have delivered approximately 3,000 tents and folding beds, along with flashlights and winter clothing. The shipment also included 1,000 prefabricated housing units for displaced residents.

Infrastructure damage has disrupted transportation links. Local railway authorities halted train traffic through the affected zone. Rockfalls forced officials to close a section of National Highway 317. Only emergency and support vehicles are currently permitted to pass while crews clear the debris. Xinhua, the state news agency, confirmed that communication services remained down in parts of the region on Friday.

Weather conditions present an added challenge for responders. Intermittent snow is forecast for the quake zone over the next three days. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the tremor at 10:33 p.m. local time. It occurred at a depth of 18 kilometers, with the epicenter located 191 kilometers east-northeast of Nagqu. The city sits more than 300 kilometers north of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet region. CCTV identified the event as the strongest earthquake in the area in five years.