This is a fresh report, so the numbers will change. The quake struck at 10:33 p.m. local time on Thursday (about 7:33 a.m. Pacific, 14:33 UTC), according to the USGS, which put the magnitude at 7.0 and the depth at about 10 km. The epicentre is roughly 183 to 191 km east-northeast of Nagqu, in Baqen County, a sparsely populated, high-altitude area of northern Tibet. The USGS also recorded a magnitude 5.2 aftershock.
The death toll in your post matches early reports: Xinhua, citing local authorities, said at least 16 people had died and dozens were injured. Xinhua also reported at least 339 houses collapsed, citing the Nagqu media office, and the AP described hundreds of collapsed homes. Railway services through the area were suspended, and rescue teams were sent to the epicentre. Search and rescue is still underway, so expect the toll to rise.
For context, a magnitude 7.1 (USGS) quake in Dingri County in January 2025 killed 126 people by official count, and collapses of older, earth-and-brick homes drove most of those deaths. For updates, see CNN's report and Weather.com's report. Do you know anyone in the area, or is there something about the region you'd like to dig into?
🗺️ See Baqen County, Nagqu on a map
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🕒 As of October 2026
