Magnitude 7.0 earthquake in China's Tibet kills 16 and injures 76

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Baqen County in Nagqu City, in China's southwestern Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, at 10:33 pm Beijing time on Thursday, 22 October, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Sixteen people were killed and 76 were injured, according to figures given at a press conference by the information office of the Nagqu city government and published by the Xinhua news agency as of 1 pm on Friday. Earlier reports had carried lower injury counts as the tally was revised.

The Ministry of Emergency Management and authorities in Xizang mobilised rescue and relief resources. Xinhua said more than 5,000 personnel had been deployed for search and rescue, medical treatment, temporary shelter and the supply of essentials, and that an emergency command headquarters had been set up.

Damaged telecommunications and power facilities were being repaired and gradually restored. Officials identified 11 potential hazards and cleared fallen rocks from seven road sections, and unsafe buildings were being monitored around the clock.

The Red Cross Society of China sent a working team and allocated 3,800 sets of relief supplies, including family relief kits, hygiene kits, heaters, tents, jackets, folding beds and quilts. The China Charity Federation allocated 3 million yuan, about 446,000 US dollars, for relief work.

This report was expanded and updated on 1 November 2026 with the casualty figures published by Xinhua on 23 October, which replace the earlier count of 54 injured.