Magnitude 7.0 earthquake kills at least 16 in northern Tibet
Liberia Today graphic
A strong earthquake struck a remote part of Tibet on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people. Officials warn the toll may rise as 1,600 rescuers head to the area.
Developing story: Figures are still being updated and may change.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit a remote, mountainous part of northern Tibet at 10:33 p.m. local time (14:33 GMT) on Thursday, 22 October, killing at least 16 people, according to Al Jazeera, citing Chinese officials and state media.
The US Geological Survey placed the epicentre roughly 190 km east-northeast of the town of Nagqu and about 390 km northeast of the regional capital, Lhasa, at an altitude of around 4,800 metres. Al Jazeera described it as the strongest quake to strike China since January 2024.
Officials in Nagqu told Reuters that up to 65 people were injured, and Al Jazeera reported that at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed. Power and communication lines were down, and rockfalls blocked or affected many roads.
Chinese authorities activated a level-II emergency response, and state media Xinhua reported that search and rescue work was continuing on Friday. Al Jazeera's Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said 1,600 rescue personnel had been deployed but that reaching the area was difficult, with snow forecast in the coming days.
Officials suggested the sparse population may have limited the number of casualties so far, but warned that the death toll is expected to rise. Early reports varied in detail: Africanews, for example, initially reported a shallow quake at a depth of about 10 km and said local authorities were still checking villages for damage.