A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck China’s remote Tibet region late Thursday night, killing at least 16 people, injuring dozens, and collapsing hundreds of homes in the northern city of Nagqu, Chinese state media and local authorities reported. It is the strongest earthquake to hit the region in five years, and rescue crews are working through snowfall at extreme altitude to reach survivors.
What Happened and Where
The earthquake struck at 10:33 p.m. local time on October 22 (2:33 p.m. GMT), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its epicentre was in Maru township, Baqen County — a sparsely populated, high-altitude area about 190 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu and more than 300 kilometres north of the regional capital Lhasa. The USGS placed the quake at a depth of about 18 kilometres.
The tremor was clearly felt across the surrounding area. The deputy head of Maru township said the township office itself sustained cracks in its walls, state news agency Xinhua reported. Security-camera footage shared by state media showed crowds rushing out of buildings in Nagqu as the shaking began, and the U.S. National Center for Seismology’s Indian network also registered the event.
Chinese authorities activated a level-II earthquake disaster emergency response — the country’s second-highest disaster-alert tier — and President Xi Jinping ordered full rescue efforts, state media said.
Death Toll, Injuries and Damage
As of Friday morning, at least 16 people were dead and dozens injured. The number of injured varied across official updates, with reports citing between 46 and 65 people hurt, including 11 in serious condition. The Nagqu media office, citing city government officials, said at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds had collapsed, while more than 330 houses were reported damaged or destroyed.
More than 1,600 rescue personnel were deployed to the affected villages, joined by over 300 police officers, including traffic and community police sent to the epicentre. State media reported that more than 12,000 residents had been moved to safer locations as authorities inspected damaged homes for further risks.
Emergency supplies were rushed into the region: 1,000 prefabricated housing units, around 3,000 tents, folding beds, flashlights and winter clothing. The quake disrupted communications in parts of the region, and local railway authorities halted trains passing through the area as a precaution. A section of National Highway 317 was closed after rockfalls, with only emergency, rescue and official vehicles allowed through while crews cleared debris.
Why Rescue Is So Difficult
This earthquake is not just powerful — it is remote and brutally cold. The epicentre sits at an average elevation of about 4,864 metres (nearly 16,000 feet) above sea level, on the Tibetan Plateau. The China Earthquake Networks Center said hundreds of aftershocks were recorded after the main quake.
Intermittent snowfall is forecast in the affected region over the next three days, Xinhua reported — a serious complication for crews working outdoors and for thousands of displaced residents in tents and prefabricated shelters.
Tibet lies on one of the most seismically active zones on Earth. The plateau was formed by the slow-motion collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a process that continues today and periodically releases devastating energy. Seismologists have long warned that the region’s remoteness, thin air and extreme weather make disaster response exceptionally hard.
What Happens Next
Search-and-rescue operations were continuing through Friday as authorities assessed the full extent of the damage. Officials are expected to update the casualty figures as teams reach more villages in the quake zone, and engineers are checking rail lines and highways before reopening them.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV described the quake as the strongest to strike the region in five years — a reminder that the plateau’s geology guarantees this will not be the last.
Sources: The Hindu/Reuters reporting (Oct. 23, 2026); Xinhua via Chinese state media; U.S. Geological Survey; China Earthquake Networks Center; CBS News; Telegraph India/Outlook India wire reports.