Nagqu Authorities Dispatch 1,600 Workers to Clear Rubble After 7.0 Quake

Chinese officials deployed more than 1,600 workers to northern Tibet on Friday to clear debris and deliver winter supplies after a magnitude-7 earthquake killed at least 16 people. The tremor struck at 10:33 p.m. on Thursday, leaving 54 people injured and damaging hundreds of structures in the region surrounding Nagqu.

The Nagqu media office reported that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed. Rescue crews remained active in the area as they searched for survivors. CCTV identified the event as the most powerful seismic activity in the region in five years.

The US Geological Survey placed the epicenter 119 miles east-north-east of Nagqu in a high-altitude zone with sparse population. The quake occurred at a depth of 11 miles. The agency recorded seven aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 5.2, each occurring at a depth of 6 miles.

Local authorities coordinated a multi-agency response. Xinhua News Agency reported that over 300 police officers and nearly 350 personnel from regional fire and rescue services joined the local workforce. Logistics teams moved 1,000 prefabricated housing units, 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing into the affected zones.

Infrastructure disruptions complicated the relief effort. Communications remained down in parts of the region. Railway authorities halted train traffic, and rockfalls closed a section of National Highway 317. That road allowed only emergency and official vehicles to pass while crews removed debris. Forecasters predicted intermittent snow for the next three days.

President Xi Jinping directed an all-out effort for rescue and medical operations. Nagqu is located more than 185 miles north of Lhasa. The region has experienced other major quakes recently, including a tremor in Tingri county in January 2025 that killed at least 126 people.