Winter clothing reaches Nagqu residents after quake destroys 339 homes
Officials deployed over 1,600 workers to clear debris and distribute supplies after a magnitude 7.0 tremor killed 16 people and cut off key transport routes in northern Tibet.
By Isabella Morales ·
Northern Tibet has experienced frequent seismic activity in recent years. On Thursday night, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the region, killing at least 16 people and injuring 54, according to Chinese official media.
The Nagqu media office reported that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in and around the regional city. Search and rescue operations continued as crews worked to clear rubble. CCTV, the national broadcaster, identified the event as the strongest tremor in the area within the last five years.
The US Geological Survey recorded the shock at 10:33 pm local time. The epicenter lay 119 miles east-north-east of Nagqu, in a high-altitude zone with sparse population. The quake occurred at a depth of 11 miles. The agency tracked at least seven aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 5.2, each at a depth of 6 miles.
Local authorities mobilized more than 1,600 personnel from the county for rescue duties. Xinhua News Agency stated that over 300 police officers joined the relief effort, while regional fire and rescue services sent nearly 350 staff. Supplies arrived in the area, including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, roughly 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing.
Logistical challenges emerged immediately following the tremor. Xinhua reported on Friday that communications failed in some affected zones. Railway authorities halted train traffic through the region as a precaution. Rockfalls closed a section of National Highway 317, restricting access to emergency and official vehicles while crews removed debris. Intermitent snow was forecast for the following three days, adding to the difficulty of operations in the cold.
President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in rescue and medical relief. The city of Nagqu is located more than 185 miles north of Lhasa. The region has a history of destructive quakes, including an event in January 2025 that killed at least 126 people in Tingri county. A previous quake in Gansu province in December 2023 killed at least 134 people, making it the deadliest in China since 2014.
Source: The Guardian
