Nagqu officials count 16 dead, 339 homes lost after evening tremor

Residents in the Nagqu region of northern China faced a disrupted commute and damaged property after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Thursday evening. Local authorities reported that the tremor killed at least 16 people and injured 46 others. The city government stated that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in the immediate aftermath. Among the injured, 11 individuals required serious medical attention, while the remaining 35 suffered minor wounds.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the event at 10:33 p.m. local time. The epicenter sat 191 kilometers east-northeast of Nagqu, which lies more than 300 kilometers north of Lhasa. The quake registered at a depth of 18 kilometers. CCTV, China's national broadcaster, identified this as the strongest seismic event in the region in five years.

Officials mobilized more than 1,600 staff members from the local county to manage the rescue operation. Logistics teams delivered 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, and folding beds to the zone. Flashlights and winter clothing were also part of the initial supply drop. Xinhua, the state news agency, noted that communication links remain down in sections of the area. Railway authorities halted train traffic through the affected corridor as a precaution.

Traffic on National Highway 317 is restricted. Officials closed a segment of the route after the tremor triggered rockfalls. Only emergency, rescue, and official support vehicles may pass while crews remove debris. Xinhua reported that intermittent snow is expected to fall across the quake zone over the next three days. This weather pattern may slow the pace of search and cleanup efforts on the ground.