Tibet earthquake kills at least 16 as rescue teams assess collapsed homes

At least 16 people were killed and 32 injured after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck China’s remote Tibet region on Thursday, according to figures reported by France 24, citing China’s state news agency Xinhua and local authorities. More than 300 houses collapsed, and officials continued assessing the damage as relief work began. The earthquake struck at 10:33pm local time, or 1433 GMT, France 24 reported.

The United States Geological Survey placed the epicentre in a mountainous area about 190 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu and 390 kilometres northeast of Lhasa, the regional capital. The quake was shallow, at a depth of 10 kilometres. Euronews reported coordinates of 32.40 degrees north latitude and 93.79 degrees east longitude, while France 24 said the epicentre was in Maru township in Baqen county.

China activated a Level-II earthquake disaster emergency response, according to the reports. Xinhua said officials were still evaluating the extent of the damage and that disaster-relief operations were under way. Euronews reported that the Nagqu Battalion of the Lhasa Fire and Rescue Mobile Detachment sent an advance team of seven firefighters.

The group was equipped with life-detection devices and specialist rescue equipment and was dispatched to assess conditions and support rescue operations. The two reports reflect different stages of the information response. Euronews initially said local authorities had reported casualties without providing a confirmed death toll.

It reported at least two injured people in a village near the epicentre and cracks in homes in nearby communities. France 24, citing later figures from Xinhua and local authorities, reported the higher confirmed toll of 16 dead and 32 injured. That account also said hundreds of houses had collapsed, with the total specified as more than 300.

A township deputy head, Lhawang Dagpo, told Xinhua that the shaking was clearly felt at the township office, where cracks appeared in the walls. Power and telecommunications services were disrupted in the county seat, according to the same report. Surveillance footage reviewed by Euronews showed people leaving buildings as the tremor struck.

The report said officials were checking villages around the epicentre for damage and possible casualties. France 24 noted that earthquakes are relatively common in China and recalled that at least 126 people were killed in an earthquake in Tibet’s rural Tingri county in January 2025. The supplied reports do not say whether the latest quake caused damage outside the immediate mountainous area or whether the casualty figure was final.