Overview
- The quake, which struck Thursday evening, was measured at magnitude 7.0 and produced strong shaking across northern Nagqu (Baqên/Baqen County).
- Chinese state media and local officials reported at least 16 people killed, 32 injured and more than 300 homes collapsed as search-and-rescue operations continued.
- Seismological agencies confirmed the M7.0 event but gave differing focal depths and epicentre coordinates, with depths reported at roughly 10 km by CENC/EMSC/GFZ and about 18 km by the USGS.
- Authorities activated a Level II emergency response, suspended some rail services, set up temporary shelters and dispatched police and fire rescue teams to high-altitude, hard-to-reach villages.
- The quake adds strain to a region still recovering from late-August glacier-collapse floods, and experts say the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates makes the Tibetan Plateau prone to strong quakes and cascading hazards.