Tibet, Oct 23: A powerful magnitude seven earthquake struck Baqen County in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, claiming at least 16 lives and injuring 65 others. Local authorities confirmed that 11 of the injured remain in serious condition, while more than 330 homes collapsed or suffered significant damage across the area. Response teams activated a Level III emergency natural disaster response on Friday following the late-night tremor.
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued urgent instructions directing local and regional authorities to launch comprehensive search and rescue operations. In his instruction, President Xi called for every effort to minimize casualties and ensure prompt medical treatment for all injured residents. Emergency relief materials, including thousands of tents, folding beds, stoves, winter clothing, and 1,000 sets of prefabricated houses, began arriving in the impacted zone early Friday morning to support displaced families.
The devastating seismic activity occurred around 10:33 pm on Thursday in Nagqu City. Seismic experts noted that the Tibetan plateau experiences frequent heavy earthquakes because it sits directly above the active boundary where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates collide with massive force. Disaster relief headquarters noted that damage assessments remain ongoing as rescue crews continue searching the area.
