Nagqu sends 1,600 workers to fight winter and clear 7.0 quake rubble

More than 1,600 local workers have been deployed to clear rubble and assist survivors in Nagqu, northern Tibet, following a powerful earthquake that struck on Thursday night. The rescue operation is urgent as winter conditions begin to set in, with intermittent snow forecast for the next three days.

The tremor, registered at magnitude 7 by the US Geological Survey, occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time. Its epicenter was located 119 miles east-north-east of Nagqu at a depth of 11 miles. At least 16 people have died, and 54 others were injured, according to Chinese official media. The Nagqu media office reported that 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed in the affected areas.

Relief efforts have been scaled up rapidly. Xinhua reported that over 300 police officers and almost 350 fire and rescue personnel joined the local workforce. Supplies sent to the region include 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches, and winter clothing. Search and rescue operations continued into Friday as teams worked to locate survivors in damaged structures.

Infrastructure damage has isolated parts of the region. Communications went down in some affected areas, forcing local railway authorities to halt all trains passing through. Rockfalls blocked a section of National Highway 317, restricting traffic to emergency and official support vehicles while crews cleared the debris. The area is sparsely populated and sits at high altitude, complicating access for aid convoys.

China's national broadcaster CCTV labeled the event the largest quake in the region in five years. Footage showed goods falling from supermarket shelves and workers fleeing restaurants as the ground shook. President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in the rescue and medical relief operations.

Nagqu is located more than 185 miles north of Lhasa, the regional capital. The area experiences frequent seismic activity. In January 2025, at least 126 people died in a quake in Tingri county, and in December 2023, a tremor in Gansu province killed at least 134 people. Tibet has been under Chinese control since the 1950s and remains one of the country's poorest regions, with ongoing tensions between the ethnic Tibetan population and Beijing regarding cultural and religious autonomy.