Winter Gear Arrives in Nagqu as 7.0 Quake Flattens Homes
China dispatched 3,000 tents and 1,000 prefab units to northern Tibet after a magnitude-7 tremor killed 16 people and left 54 injured.
By Jonathan Hoffmann ·
A magnitude-7 earthquake shook northern Tibet on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring 54, according to Chinese official media. The tremor struck at 10:33 p.m. local time, with its epicenter located 119 miles east-north-east of the regional city of Nagqu.
The US Geological Survey recorded the quake at a depth of 11 miles. The agency logged at least seven aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 5.2, each occurring at a depth of 6 miles. CCTV, China's national broadcaster, identified the event as the strongest earthquake in the region in five years.
Local authorities reported that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in and around Nagqu. Search and rescue operations continued through Friday. More than 1,600 local county personnel joined the effort, alongside over 300 police officers and nearly 350 firefighters and rescue workers.
Relief supplies reached the area to support the displaced population. These included 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing. The distribution of cold-weather gear aligns with forecasts for intermittent snow over the next three days.
Infrastructure disruptions forced emergency measures in the region. Railway authorities halted trains passing through the area. Rockfalls closed a section of National Highway 317, restricting access to emergency and support vehicles while crews cleared debris. Xinhua reported that communications remained down in some affected zones.
President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in rescue and medical relief. Nagqu sits more than 185 miles north of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The region has experienced major seismic events recently, including a quake in Tingri county in January 2025 that killed at least 126 people.
Footage from CCTV showed the immediate impact of the tremor. Workers fled restaurants, and goods fell from supermarket shelves. Rescuers were seen navigating damaged buildings with collapsed roofs. The latest death toll stands at 16, with 54 people reported injured.
