A powerful earthquake tore through the remote highlands of Tibet late on Thursday, killing at least 16 people. Chinese state sources said the magnitude 7.0 quake in Baqen County of Nagqu City also injured 46 people.
The quake struck at 10:33 p.m. Beijing time (7:33 p.m. in Pakistan) at a depth of 10 km, according to Chinese state sources. Its epicentre was in Maru Township, about 70 km from the county seat. Lhawang Dagpo, the township's deputy head, said the shaking was clearly felt at the township office, whose walls cracked, and that checks were under way village by village. Power and telecommunications were cut in Baqen, and tremors were felt as far as Qamdo and Nyingchi.
By 2:25 a.m. on Friday, 339 homes had collapsed and 11 of the injured were in serious condition, according to initial official figures. The affected villages sit around 4,800 metres above sea level, and it is the deadliest quake in the region since a 2023 earthquake in Gansu killed 120 people.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a statement carried by state media, ordered all-out efforts to rescue those trapped, treat the injured and minimise casualties. Tibet activated a Level-II emergency response, and more than 300 police officers and 347 fire and rescue personnel were sent to the area, official sources said.
Most information so far has come from Chinese state media, as independent access to Tibet is tightly restricted. The damage is still being assessed.