16 dead, hundreds of homes collapse after powerful earthquake hits Tibet; rescue ops underway

Search and rescue operations were underway after at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed, says report

Updated on: Oct 23, 2026, 09:49:31 IST

By HT News Desk

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An earthquake of magnitude 7 struck Tibet on Thursday at a depth of 10 km, killing at least 16 people, injuring 54 and causing hundreds of homes to collapse in the northern regional city of Nagqu, according to official media reports cited by the news agency AP.

Firefighters inspect an earthquake-hit village houses in Baqen County of Nagqu City in Tibet, on Friday. (AP)

Search and rescue operations were underway after at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed, the Nagqu media office said, citing city government officials.

According to the US Geological Survey, earthquake struck at 10.33 pm local time, with its epicentre located 191 km (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu, in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area of northern Tibet. The agency estimated the quake’s depth at 18 km (11 miles). Nagqu lies more than 300 km (186 miles) north of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

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The earthquake also triggered rockfalls, prompting local authorities to close a section of National Highway 317. Only emergency, rescue and official support vehicles were allowed to pass as crews worked to clear debris, chinese news agency Xinhua reported, according to AP.

Rescue operations could be hampered by intermittent snowfall forecast in the earthquake-hit region over the next three days, Xinhua reported. Communications have also been disrupted in parts of the region, while local railway authorities have taken emergency measures to halt trains passing through the affected area.

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China's state broadcaster CCTV said it was the region's biggest earthquake in the past five years.

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HT News Desk
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