M7.0 earthquake kills at least 16, injures 76 in Xizang, China
An M7.0 earthquake struck Baqen County in China’s Xizang Autonomous Region at 22:33 LT (14:33 UTC) on October 22, 2026, killing at least 16 people and injuring 76, according to the latest Nagqu municipal assessment. Authorities said homes belonging to 339 households had collapsed or been damaged, while 12 489 residents had been relocated by 10:00 LT on October 23.
The Xizang Earthquake Bureau, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), placed the epicenter at 32.40°N, 93.79°E in Maru Township and measured a focal depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) registered M7.0 at a depth of 18 km (11.2 miles), approximately 191 km (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu.
At a press conference held at 15:00 LT on October 23, the Nagqu municipal government said the earthquake had killed 16 people and injured 76 as of 13:00 LT. The assessment also recorded collapsed or damaged homes belonging to 339 households and damage to 20 livestock enclosures.
Maru and Gangqie townships were among the principal affected areas. Aerial reconnaissance identified damaged buildings within 20 km (12 miles) of the epicenter, while ground reports documented severely damaged earthen walls, collapsed sections of brick buildings and surface cracks near Maru.
Nagqu’s earthquake-relief command said 12 489 affected residents had been moved to safer locations by 10:00 LT on October 23.
Over 1 600 personnel organized by Baqen County, more than 300 police officers, 350 national fire-and-rescue personnel and 262 members of the People’s Armed Police were deployed for relief efforts.
The Ministry of Emergency Management said 120 national fire-and-rescue personnel and 27 vehicles had reached the affected area by 06:30 LT, while another 230 personnel and 56 vehicles were traveling toward Nagqu. A Wing Loong unmanned aircraft was dispatched for aerial assessment.
Relief supplies continued arriving through October 23. The municipal press conference reported that the inventory available by 13:00 LT included 2 000 prefabricated housing units, 3 408 tents, 2 821 folding beds, 4 280 blankets, 3 300 sets of winter clothing, 3 820 military coats, 300 heating stoves and four generators.
Authorities said residents whose homes were uninhabitable were being accommodated through a combination of centralized shelters and stays with relatives. Plans called for people initially housed in tents to be transferred into warmer prefabricated units as they became available.
CENC recorded 501 aftershocks by 12:00 LT on October 23. These comprised 474 events below M3.0 and 27 at M3.0 or greater, including five between M4.0 and M4.9; the largest event in the CENC catalog was M4.3.
China Earthquake Administration experts described the mainshock as an extensional rupture within the Qiangtang block. The nearest identified fault was the Baqen–Riwoqê fault, approximately 2 km (1 mile) from the epicenter, and experts said felt earthquakes remained possible in the area during the following several days.
Rockfalls affected National Highway G317 between Sog County and Zhala Township in Biru County. Road crews cleared the obstruction by 03:00 LT on October 23, but ordinary motorists were still advised to use alternative routes so emergency vehicles could receive priority.
Passenger services on the affected Golmud–Lhasa section of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway resumed under speed restrictions at 08:00 LT after inspections found the railway equipment intact. Trains had been stopped while the inspections were conducted.
State Grid Xizang Electric Power said electricity had been restored to 1 937 households by 10:00 LT, with power secured for rescue headquarters, health facilities, government offices and temporary accommodation sites. The utility deployed 212 personnel, 38 vehicles, 15 mobile generation vehicles and more than 70 sets of emergency equipment.
Communications and internet services had returned in Maru Township by the morning of October 23, while China Unicom said its network in the affected area was operating normally by 08:30 LT.
CENC’s aftershock monitoring was accompanied by geological-hazard inspections. The Ministry of Natural Resources activated a Level III geological-disaster response for Xizang and sent experts to assist with inspections of unstable slopes and other potential secondary hazards.
The China Meteorological Administration entered a special earthquake-disaster support status at 10:00 LT. Scattered snow was forecast during October 23–24, with afternoon winds of approximately 62–74 km/h (39–46 mph) and minimum temperatures near -9°C (16°F) in Gangqie and -5°C (23°F) in Maru.
Authorities advised response teams to secure temporary shelters, protect relocated residents from cold exposure, and monitor for carbon monoxide poisoning and fires associated with heating equipment. Short periods of snow and black ice were also possible on shaded high-altitude roads.
The China Earthquake Administration activated a Level II response, while the State Council Earthquake Relief Headquarters Office and Ministry of Emergency Management raised the national earthquake-disaster response from Level IV to Level III. A separate national natural-disaster relief response remained at Level IV, while Xizang activated Level III under its regional disaster-relief plan.
The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Emergency Management allocated CNY 50 million in central disaster-relief funding. Xizang added CNY 20 million, bringing allocated natural-disaster relief funding to CNY 70 million.
The National Development and Reform Commission separately allocated CNY 30 million for emergency restoration of damaged infrastructure and public-service facilities.
References:
1 M7.0 earthquake strikes Baqen County, Nagqu, Xizang – Xizang Earthquake Bureau – October 22, 2026
2 Baqen earthquake leaves 16 dead and 76 injured as of 13:00 – CCTV/China Youth Network – October 23, 2026
3 China Meteorological Administration begins special earthquake support operations – Xinhua – October 23, 2026
Feature image: Rescue operatives searching for survivors after m7.0 earthquake in Xizang, China on October 22, 2026. Credit: CCTV
Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.
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