A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqên County in northern Tibet's Nagqu prefecture late on October 22, 2026, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens more, according to Chinese state media. The quake destroyed at least 339 homes in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area more than 185 miles (about 300 kilometers) north of Lhasa, according to CBS News and NBC News, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit northern Tibet at around 10:33 p.m. local time on Thursday, October 22, 2026, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and China's Earthquake Networks Center. The epicenter was located in Baqên County, part of Nagqu prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region, roughly 191 kilometers (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu city, in a sparsely populated area at an average elevation of about 4,800 meters.
What We Know So Far
The USGS put the quake's depth at 18 kilometers (11 miles), while China's Earthquake Networks Center reported a shallower depth of about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). According to the Wikipedia summary of the event, seismologists classified it as a normal-faulting earthquake, consistent with east-west crustal extension within the Tibetan Plateau rather than the strike-slip motion typical of faults further north.
ABC News Australia described the quake as the strongest to hit China since January 2024. CBS News, citing Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, reported it as the biggest earthquake in the region in the past five years.
Casualties and Damage
Officials put the confirmed death toll at 16, a figure consistent across NBC News, CBS News and ABC News Australia reporting. Injury counts, however, vary between outlets. NBC News and ABC News Australia, both citing Chinese state media, reported 32 people injured, including 11 in serious condition and 21 with minor injuries. CBS News, citing the Nagqu media office, put the number higher, at 54 injured, with the same 11 serious cases but 35 classified as minor. The Wikipedia entry on the event cites a tally of 65 injured, including 11 in serious condition.
Reported casualty figures by source
Source
Deaths
Injured
NBC News / ABC News Australia (citing Chinese state media)
16
32 (11 serious, 21 minor)
CBS News (citing Nagqu media office)
16
54 (11 serious, 35 minor)
Wikipedia (compiled tally)
16
65 (11 serious)
At least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in the affected area, according to the Nagqu media office as reported by CBS News, NBC News and ABC News Australia. The Wikipedia account adds that rockfalls blocked sections of National Highway 317 and damaged vehicles, and that ground cracks appeared in Mărú Township.
Rescue and Relief Operations
Chinese authorities said more than 1,600 personnel from the local county were mobilized for search and rescue, according to CBS News and NBC News. Relief supplies dispatched to the area included about 1,000 prefabricated housing units, roughly 3,000 tents and folding beds, flashlights and winter clothing, according to CBS News.
The Wikipedia summary adds that the Western Theater Command of China's military deployed drones for aerial reconnaissance, while more than 300 personnel and 20 vehicles from the Tibet Military Region and the Armed Police Corps conducted overnight search operations. ABC News Australia reported that as of 2:25 a.m. Friday local time, 11 injured people remained in serious condition.
11 people were in serious condition and the other 35 sustained minor injuries.
— Nagqu media office, as reported by CBS News
Why Tibet Is Prone to Strong Earthquakes
The Tibetan Plateau sits at the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, producing frequent seismic activity across the region. ABC News Australia noted that an earthquake in Tibet's Tingri county in January 2025 killed at least 126 people, and that a magnitude-7.1 earthquake in Yushu, in Qinghai province, in 2010 killed at least 2,698 people, with nearly 300 people left missing.
CBS News also noted that the same broader Tibet region had, less than two months before this earthquake, experienced severe flash flooding caused by a glacier collapse that killed hundreds of people, underscoring the area's exposure to both seismic and glacial hazards tied to its high-altitude terrain.
As of Friday morning local time, authorities had not released a final damage assessment, and rescue teams continued working through aftershocks measuring magnitude 3 to 4 in surrounding areas, according to ABC News Australia.
Questions
Where exactly did the earthquake strike?
The epicenter was in Baqên County, part of Nagqu prefecture in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, about 191 kilometers (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu city, according to NBC News. Nagqu itself is more than 185 miles (about 300 kilometers) north of the regional capital, Lhasa, according to CBS News and NBC News; ABC News Australia reported a distance of about 400 kilometers between the region and Lhasa.
How strong was the earthquake and how deep?
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 7.0 with a depth of 18 kilometers (11 miles), while China's Earthquake Networks Center reported a shallower depth of about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), per NBC News.
How many people were killed or injured?
At least 16 people were confirmed killed, a figure consistent across sources. Injury counts differ: Chinese state media cited by NBC News and ABC News Australia reported 32 injured, CBS News reported 54 injured citing local officials, and the Wikipedia entry on the event lists 65 injured, including 11 seriously.
Why does Tibet experience so many strong earthquakes?
The region lies at the collision zone of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. ABC News Australia noted earlier major quakes, including one in Tibet's Tingri county in January 2025 that killed at least 126 people, and a magnitude-7.1 quake in Yushu, Qinghai province, in 2010 that killed at least 2,698 people.
What relief efforts are underway?
Chinese authorities reported mobilizing more than 1,600 local personnel plus over 300 military and armed police with drones, and sent about 1,000 prefabricated housing units, roughly 3,000 tents and folding beds, and winter supplies, according to CBS News, NBC News and the Wikipedia summary of the event.
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