Magnitude 7 earthquake kills 16 in Tibet, authorities report
The October 22 quake struck southwestern China, where Chinese official accounts reported 65 injuries, including 11 people in serious condition.
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The October 22 quake struck southwestern China, where Chinese official accounts reported 65 injuries, including 11 people in serious condition.
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Tibet in southwestern China on 22 October, killing at least 16 people, according to Chinese state-media accounts relayed by the BBC and DW. Those reports put injuries at 65, including 11 serious cases, while the BBC cited local media saying more than 12,400 people had been relocated.
The earthquake hit at approximately 10:33 p.m. local time (14:33 GMT). Xinhua’s initial account, citing Nagqu City’s emergency management bureau, reported 32 injured: 11 seriously and 21 with minor injuries. Authorities declared an emergency and deployed rescue teams, the BBC reported on 22 October.
The BBC reported 339 collapsed homes. DW, citing local government officials through state media, reported at least 339 collapsed residential buildings and 20 livestock sheds. DW also relayed a state-media figure of more than 12,000 people relocated, a rounded count alongside the BBC’s more precise figure of more than 12,400.
| Measure | People |
|---|---|
| Total injured | 65 |
| Seriously injured, included in the total |
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The Guardian gave a different injury count of 54, also citing official media. Restrictions on foreign media and official censorship make Chinese state media the main source of disaster updates from Tibet, the BBC reported, limiting independent verification of casualty and damage figures.
Residents spent the night outdoors in subzero temperatures, sheltering in tents or cars because they feared further tremors could trap them inside their homes, according to local-media reporting relayed by the BBC. The Guardian reported that relief supplies sent to the region included 1,000 prefabricated housing units, about 3,000 tents, folding beds and winter clothing.
Rockfalls closed roads and made it harder for rescue crews to reach affected high-altitude areas, the BBC reported. A section of national highway 317 remained open only to emergency, rescue and official support vehicles while crews cleared debris, according to Xinhua’s account relayed by the Guardian.
Power and communications were disrupted, Xinhua reported through DW. The BBC reported that electricity had been restored in some areas by the morning of 23 October. Communications remained down in some affected areas, and local railway authorities halted trains passing through the region as an emergency measure, the Guardian reported.
The epicentre—the point on the surface above where the earthquake began—was in Maru township in Baqen county. The US Geological Survey located it about 190 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu and 390 kilometres northeast of Lhasa, according to France 24. Depth reports differ: France 24 and DW reported 10 kilometres, while the Guardian relayed a US Geological Survey figure of about 18 kilometres.
Authorities activated a level-II earthquake emergency response, Xinhua reported through France 24. More than 1,600 people from the local county were deployed to assist relief efforts, and officials continued assessing the damage, according to state-media accounts relayed by DW.
China’s President Xi Jinping ordered searches for missing people, prompt medical treatment, accommodation for affected residents and repairs to damaged infrastructure, Armenpress reported on 23 October, citing Xinhua. Xi also called for monitoring of seismic activity and weather conditions because of the area’s high altitude and low temperatures.
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