Nagqu residents face winter storm after 7.0 quake flattens 339 homes

Residents in northern Tibet face immediate cold weather conditions following a magnitude-7 earthquake that struck on Thursday night. Chinese official media reported that at least 16 people died and 54 others suffered injuries in the tremor. The Nagqu media office stated that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in and around the regional city.

The United States Geological Survey recorded the event at 10:33 p.m. local time. The epicenter lay 119 miles east-north-east of Nagqu in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area at a depth of 11 miles. The agency logged seven aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 5.2, each occurring at a depth of 6 miles. China's national broadcaster CCTV identified this as the largest quake in the region in five years.

Rescue crews deployed more than 1,600 people from the local county to the site. Xinhua News Agency reported that over 300 police officers joined the effort. Regional fire and rescue services added nearly 350 personnel. Authorities shipped supplies to the zone, including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing.

Infrastructure damage has disrupted transport and communication. Xinhua reported that communications went down in some affected areas. Local railway authorities halted trains passing through the region as a precaution. Rockfalls closed a section of National Highway 317 to all traffic except emergency and support vehicles while crews cleared debris.

Intermittent snow is forecast for the next three days, adding difficulty to the ongoing search and rescue work. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in the rescue operation and medical relief. Videos from CCTV showed workers running from restaurants and rescuers climbing through buildings with collapsed roofs.

Nagqu sits more than 185 miles north of Lhasa. The region experiences frequent seismic activity. In January 2025, a quake in Tingri county killed at least 126 people. A previous deadly event in Gansu province in December 2023 resulted in at least 134 deaths.

The next phase of recovery focuses on clearing debris from Highway 317 and distributing the prefabricated housing units. Snow is expected to persist through the upcoming three-day window.