At least 16 people were killed and 32 others injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Tibet on Thursday, according to local emergency management authorities.
As of 2:25 a.m. on Friday, 11 of the injured were in serious condition, while 21 sustained minor injuries. More than 300 houses collapsed in the earthquake, Xinhua news agency reported.
Authorities are continuing to assess the extent of the damage, while rescue and relief operations are underway in the affected areas.
More than 300 police officers have been deployed to the epicentre to assist with relief efforts, while the regional fire and rescue corps has mobilised 347 personnel for emergency operations.
According to India’s National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake occurred at a depth of 173 kilometres beneath the Earth’s surface, with its epicentre located approximately 400 kilometres from Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.
The latest earthquake follows a series of seismic events in the region. On September 3, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Tibet at a depth of approximately 14 kilometres.
Earlier, in January 2025, a powerful earthquake measuring 6.8 on the China Earthquake Networks Centre’s scale killed more than 120 people and injured hundreds of others.
Experts have warned that rising temperatures, retreating glaciers and increasingly extreme weather events could heighten natural disaster risks across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The latest earthquake has renewed concerns over the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters.
The quake comes amid the aftermath of devastating flash floods in the Nepal-Tibet border region in August. An ice-rock avalanche near the border on August 26 triggered severe flooding that swept away homes, roads and bridges, damaged hydropower projects and caused widespread destruction.
Reports indicated that the August floods left thousands of people missing, with the death toll exceeding 1,400 across the affected region.
Published: Friday, 23 October 2026 | 1:39 PM IST