Magnitude 7 Earthquake in Tibet Kills 16, Collapses 339 Homes

Sixteen people were killed and dozens injured in a magnitude 7 earthquake that struck China’s Tibet region on Thursday, CNN reported, citing Chinese media.

Damage and response

The U.S. Geological Survey put the epicenter 183 kilometers east-northeast of the city of Nagqu in the Tibet Autonomous Region. According to Xinhua, at least 339 houses collapsed and the scale of the damage is still being assessed. A rescue team was sent to the epicenter.

China Central Television said the railway suspended trains through the affected areas. Broadcaster CGTN reported that China’s earthquake administration declared a Level II emergency, the second-highest level. In villages near the epicenter, authorities found at least two injured people and houses with visible cracks. The China Earthquake Networks Center noted that the average elevation within 5 kilometers of the epicenter exceeds 4,800 meters.

A seismically active region

CNN noted that China is no stranger to powerful earthquakes, especially in the southwest, where the Eurasian tectonic plate collides with the Indian plate. The last quake of similar strength to hit the country struck in January 2024, when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook a remote mountainous part of the westernmost Xinjiang region, killing three people and injuring dozens.