Magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes northern Tibet, killing at least 16, injuring 32 and destroying more than 300 homes

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck northern Tibet on Thursday evening, killing at least 16 people and injuring 32. According to China’s Xinhua news agency, which cited local officials, the tremor caused severe property damage and the collapse of more than 300 homes.

The earthquake struck at 22:33 local time in the mountainous province of Nagqu, in northern Tibet. Initial data placed the epicentre around 400 kilometres from Lhasa, the regional capital, at a depth of just 10 kilometres.

Fears of further collapses prompted residents to rush out of their homes and seek shelter in open spaces or parked vehicles. Chinese state media broadcast footage of people fleeing their homes after the powerful tremor.

Available information indicates that China had not recorded an earthquake this powerful since January 2024. Local authorities’ reports of 16 deaths, 32 injuries and hundreds of destroyed homes highlight the scale of the earthquake’s impact on the area.

The event has brought back memories of the 2010 earthquake disaster in Yushu County in neighbouring Qinghai province. There, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed at least 2,698 people, while around 300 others remained missing, making it one of the region’s deadliest seismic disasters.

The latest earthquake in northern Tibet has renewed concerns about the impact of powerful tremors in mountainous areas, where damaged homes and fragile infrastructure can increase the risks to local residents.