Tibet earthquake of magnitude 7.0 kills at least 16, injures 65

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqên County in the Nagqu region of Tibet on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring 65, according to Chinese state media. Authorities declared an emergency and deployed rescue teams to the county, where 339 homes collapsed.

Where did the earthquake hit?

Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, reported that the quake was centred on Baqên County, about 400km north-east of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the affected area lies at an altitude of around 4,800 metres and is prone to aftershocks.

How many people were killed and injured?

At least 16 people died and 65 were injured, 11 of them severely, according to the local emergency management bureau as cited by state media. More than 12,400 people have been relocated. Electricity was cut off across the affected region, although state media reported by Friday morning that power had been restored in some areas.

What is slowing the rescue effort?

Rockfall has closed roads in the mountainous region, making it harder for crews to reach high-altitude communities. Residents spent the night outdoors in subzero temperatures, sheltering in tents or in cars because they feared aftershocks could trap them indoors, local media reported. More than 400 aftershocks had been registered by Friday morning, according to state media.

What has the Chinese government done?

Li Qiang called for “urgent efforts” to organise rescue operations and medical treatment for the injured and to relocate and resettle affected residents, state media reported. The Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a working group to guide disaster relief, and the government announced it was allocating 50 million yuan (£5.6m; $7.5m) for relief work in Tibet.

What did survivors describe?

Nagqu resident Yixi Cuomu told the newspaper Tibet Daily she was asleep in bed when her house began shaking violently. She ran outside barefoot, “her legs trembling uncontrollably” as she descended the staircase, the paper reported. Another eyewitness said the shaking was so violent “that in that moment I felt as if several hundred yaks were running past us”.

What did seismologists record?

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded seven tremors close to the epicentre, all in the same mountainous region. The largest was magnitude 5.2 at a depth of 10km. Shallow earthquakes and tremors closer to the Earth’s surface are more damaging than deep quakes.

Is the region prone to earthquakes?

The Tibetan plateau is regularly struck by destructive seismic activity. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 120 people in the neighbouring Chinese province of Gansu in 2023, and in January 2025 military personnel, firefighters, police and specialist rescue teams reached the Shigatse region of Tibet within hours of a powerful quake. Foreign media are restricted from Tibet and information is heavily censored by authorities, leaving Chinese state media as the main source of detail when disasters occur there.

Other deadly incidents have also required large emergency responses, including a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright that killed four people and injured 39.

Frequently asked questions

How many people died in the Tibet earthquake?

At least 16 people were killed and 65 were injured, 11 of them severely, according to figures from the local emergency management bureau cited by Chinese state media.

Where did the magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit?

The epicentre was in Baqên County in the Nagqu region of Tibet, about 400km north-east of Lhasa, in an area at an altitude of roughly 4,800 metres.

How much money did China allocate for earthquake relief?

The Chinese government announced it was allocating 50 million yuan, equivalent to about £5.6m or $7.5m, for disaster relief efforts in Tibet.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)