7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Tibet, Leaving at Least 16 Dead
A powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake has struck Tibet, resulting in at least 16 fatalities and widespread destruction of homes. Rescue efforts are underway.
POLICY WIRE — Nagqu, China — A powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet on Thursday evening, resulting in at least 16 deaths and causing significant structural damage to hundreds of residences.
The United States Geological Survey reported that the seismic event occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time. The epicenter was located 119 miles east-northeast of Nagqu, situated in a high-altitude, sparsely populated area of northern Tibet at a depth of 11 miles.
Discrepancies in technical data emerged shortly after the event, as China’s state news agency Xinhua cited the China Earthquake Networks Center, which estimated the quake’s depth at 6.2 miles. Local officials confirmed that in addition to the 16 fatalities, 32 individuals sustained injuries, and more than 300 homes were leveled by the tremors.
The affected area of Nagqu is located more than 186 miles north of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. This disaster follows a separate environmental catastrophe less than two months ago, when flash flooding triggered by a collapsing glacier devastated communities along the border of Nepal and Tibet, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
