In brief
A powerful 7.0‑strength earthquake struck the remote Nagqu region of Tibet late Thursday night, claiming at least 16 lives and leaving 32 injured. The quake’s epicentre lay in Baqên County, about 400 km northeast of Lhasa, and toppling more than 300 homes. Emergency services are fighting to reach isolated villages after rockfall has closed key roads. The disaster comes on the heels of the catastrophic glacier‑induced floods that devastated Tibet and Nepal a little over a month ago.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake has devastated a high‑altitude region in Tibet, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens.
The shaking hit Baqên County in the Nagqu prefecture late Thursday night, Xinhua reported, placing the epicentre roughly 400 km northeast of Lhasa. Emergency authorities have declared a state of emergency and dispatched rescue units, but 32 residents are now wounded.
More than 300 homes in the affected area have collapsed, while the power supply has been largely cut off. Rockfall has also sealed off surrounding roads, hampering relief teams’ access to the most isolated villages.
This tragedy follows the devastating glacier‑driven floods that struck Tibet and Nepal just over two months ago, killing some 1,400 people and leaving hundreds missing.
Local officials urge residents to remain vigilant as aftershocks continue to threaten the already fragile infrastructure of the region.
