At least 16 dead, hundreds of homes destroyed in Tibet earthquake
At least 16 people have been killed and 46 injured after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck northern Tibet.
The tremor hit the high-altitude region at 10.33pm on Thursday (Friday AEDT).
Local media footage captures the moment residents rushed into the streets as a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Tibet. CCTV via CNN
According to data from the China Earthquake Networks Centre, the earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, with the epicentre located in the sparsely populated Baqen County in Nagqu.
Authorities say at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds have collapsed across Nagqu, with damage assessments ongoing.
More than 1600 emergency workers have been sent to the disaster zone, where damaged roads, rockfalls blocking a major highway, lost communications and forecasted snow are hampering rescue efforts.
Emergency supplies, including temporary housing units, tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing, have begun arriving in the region.
More than 1600 emergency workers have been sent to the disaster zone. CCTV via CNN
A section of National Highway 317 has been closed to all but emergency vehicles while crews remove debris.
Footage released by local media showed residents rushing out of buildings as the earthquake struck.
In villages near the epicentre, authorities have found injured residents and homes with visible cracks, according to reports.
State broadcaster CCTV reported it as the strongest earthquake to hit the area in the past five years. CCTV via CNN
Snow is expected across the earthquake-affected region over the next three days, according to Xinhua.
Chinese authorities have activated their second-highest earthquake emergency response, allowing additional resources to be directed towards the disaster.
Earthquakes are relatively common in western China, particularly around the Tibetan Plateau, where the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Eurasian plate.
The same geological activity is responsible for the formation of the Himalayas.
In January 2024, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck China’s western Xinjiang region, killing three people and injuring dozens.
Just weeks earlier, an earthquake in Gansu province in north-western China killed more than 100 people.
The earthquake comes less than two months after catastrophic flash floods – triggered by a massive rock and ice avalanche on August 26 – devastated the Nepal–Tibet border region.
That disaster killed at least 1399 people, left thousands missing, and unaccounted for 35 Australians as of early September.
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