Quake Shakes Tibet, Closing Highway and Halting Trains

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck northern Tibet late Thursday, damaging homes and interrupting transport links that carry goods and passengers through the region. Authorities reported 16 deaths and 54 injuries. At least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in and around Nagqu, a city government notice said. Search and rescue work continued.

The US Geological Survey placed the quake at 10.33pm local time on Thursday, with an epicenter 119 miles east-north-east of Nagqu at a depth of 11 miles. The area is sparsely populated and sits at high altitude. The agency catalogued at least seven aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 5.2, each at a depth of 6 miles. CCTV, China's national broadcaster, called it the largest quake in the region in five years.

Transport took an immediate hit. Rockfalls closed a stretch of national highway 317, which remained open only to emergency, rescue and official support vehicles while crews cleared debris. Railway authorities in the region halted trains as a precaution. Communications were down in some affected areas.

More than 1,600 county residents joined rescue work. Xinhua reported over 300 police officers deployed for relief operations, while regional fire and rescue services sent nearly 350 personnel. Deliveries to the area included 1,000 prefabricated housing units, about 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches and winter clothing. Intermittent snow was forecast for the following three days. President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in the rescue operation and medical relief work.

Nagqu sits more than 185 miles north of Lhasa. Earthquakes occur regularly across China. A January 2025 quake in Tingri county, Tibet, killed at least 126 people. A December 2023 quake in Gansu province killed at least 134, state media reported at the time, making it China's deadliest since 2014, when more than 600 died in Yunnan.

The US Geological Survey logged at least seven aftershocks of magnitude 4.3 to 5.2 following the initial tremor.