Deadly 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Tibet, Casualties Reported
Severe Earthquake Hits Tibet
File image shows the devastating aftermath following a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Northern Tibet, China(Photo: @KapadiaCP/X)
Lhasa, Oct 23: A powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Tibet on Thursday, resulting in the tragic loss of 16 lives and leaving 32 individuals injured, as reported by the local emergency management bureau.
As of early Friday morning, 11 of the injured were reported to be in critical condition, while 21 others suffered minor injuries. The quake caused the collapse of over 300 homes.
Authorities are currently assessing the extent of the damage, and disaster relief efforts are actively underway, according to reports from a news agency.
In response to the disaster, more than 300 police officers have been deployed to the epicenter, and the regional fire and rescue team has sent 347 personnel to assist in the affected areas.
This earthquake follows a series of seismic events in Tibet, including a 5.0 magnitude quake on September 3, which occurred at a depth of around 14 kilometers. Earlier in January 2025, a significant earthquake measuring 6.8 resulted in over 120 fatalities and numerous injuries.
As per India’s National Centre for Seismology, the recent earthquake struck at a depth of 173 kilometers beneath the Earth's surface, with its epicenter located approximately 400 kilometers from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
Experts have raised concerns that rising temperatures, melting glaciers, and increasingly severe weather patterns may elevate the risk of natural disasters across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The recent earthquake has highlighted the region's vulnerability as communities continue to deal with the aftermath of previous disasters.
This seismic event follows a devastating ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, which triggered catastrophic flash floods, destroying homes, roads, and bridges, and damaging hydropower projects, leaving thousands missing and causing widespread devastation.
These earthquakes come on the heels of severe flash floods in August that claimed over 1,400 lives in the Nepal-Tibet border region, with the floods originating near the border.