16 Dead, 413 Aftershocks Recorded After Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Hits Tibet

A strong magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the largest in China this year, has struck the western region of Tibet, leaving 16 people dead.

According to local media outlets such as Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV), the earthquake struck Baqen County in the Nagqu Prefecture of the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region at 10:33 p.m. local time on the 22nd.

The epicenter was located at 32.40 degrees north latitude and 93.79 degrees east longitude, with a focal depth of 10 kilometers.

As of 5:20 a.m. on the 23rd, casualties from the earthquake stood at 16 dead and 46 injured (11 seriously and 35 slightly).

Additionally, 339 houses were either destroyed or damaged.

A total of 413 aftershocks had hit the earthquake-affected region as of 7:00 a.m. that day.

The largest aftershock registered at a magnitude of 4.3.

Chinese authorities have launched rescue operations, treatment for the injured, and resident evacuations while beginning inspections of hazardous areas such as roads and tunnels, Xinhua reported.

Operations on certain sections of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway were temporarily suspended immediately following the earthquake.

According to local media outlet The Paper, guests at a hotel in Baqen County evacuated after the entire building shook violently when the earthquake hit.

Clear cracks formed across various parts of the hotel building, and tableware and other household items crashed to the ground.

A tourist on vacation in nearby Nyingchi said, "I woke up from the shaking inside my campervan, and the whole process lasted about a minute," adding, "When the shaking was at its worst, it felt like someone was violently shoving the campervan."

This is the first earthquake of magnitude 7 or higher (based on China Earthquake Networks Center measurements) to occur in China since a magnitude 7.1 strong earthquake hit Wushi County in the northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on January 23, 2024.

In the Tibet region, a strong magnitude 6.8 earthquake (measured at 7.1 by the U.S. Geological Survey) previously struck Tingri County in Xigaze on January 7 of last year.

(Photo provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.