Magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes Tibet; state media report at least 16 dead

Summary

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqen County in Nagqu, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at 10.33 pm on Thursday, October 22, 2026, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center, as reported by Euronews and Africanews. Hindustan Times, citing the German Research Centre for Geosciences, gave the depth as 10 km. ABC News initially reported no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Later reports changed that picture: The Hindu, citing state media, reported at least 16 people killed, and the South China Morning Post, citing Xinhua and local authorities, reported at least 16 killed and 32 injured and more than 300 houses collapsed. The two outlets differ on the injury count: the Post reported 32 injured, while The Hindu's headline gives 65 injured. Officials were still evaluating the damage and disaster relief work was ongoing, according to Xinhua. The Hindu's headline also reports more than 12,000 people evacuated. According to the U.S. Geological Survey as cited by The Hindu, the epicentre was in a mountainous area about 190 km east-northeast of Nagqu and 390 km northeast of the regional capital Lhasa.

Timeline

1. Hindustan Times

   22 Oct 2026, 14:57 UTCSource ↗

   Hindustan Times reports that a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Tibet at a depth of 10 km, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences.

2. ABC News

   22 Oct 2026, 16:23 UTCSource ↗

   ABC News reports that a magnitude 7 earthquake struck China's Tibet on Thursday evening, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

3. Euronews

   22 Oct 2026, 19:57 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews reports that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqen County in Nagqu, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at 10.33 pm on Thursday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

4. Africanews

   22 Oct 2026, 19:57 UTCSource ↗

   Africanews reports that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqen County in Nagqu, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at 10.33 pm on Thursday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

5. South China Morning Post

   22 Oct 2026, 20:26 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that at least 16 people were killed and 32 injured when the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Tibet late on Thursday, citing Xinhua and local authorities, and that more than 300 houses collapsed.

6. The Hindu

   23 Oct 2026, 07:01 UTCSource ↗

   The Hindu reports that 16 people were killed and 65 injured in the magnitude 7 quake that hit Tibet, with more than 12,000 evacuated, and that over 330 houses collapsed or were damaged, citing state media and the U.S. Geological Survey for the epicentre location about 190 km east-northeast of Nagqu.