Tibet Earthquake Kills 16; Xi Jinping Orders Maximum Response
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out response in Tibet after a magnitude 7 earthquake killed at least 16 people. The powerful quake injured dozens more and reduced hundreds of homes to rubble.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck on Thursday (22 October) at around 10.33pm local time. Its epicentre was in a mountainous area about 190 kilometres east of Nagqu and 390 kilometres north-east of Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.
The quake was shallow, at a depth of about 10 kilometres.
In a statement, Xi said the earthquake had caused “considerable casualties” and struck a “high-altitude location” in cold weather, Xinhua reported, according to AFP on Friday (23 October 2026.
“We must make every effort to carry out search-and-rescue operations and do everything possible to treat the injured, in order to minimise the number of casualties,” the Chinese president said.
Xi also called for aid and rescue equipment to be sent to the affected area immediately.
Video footage showed rescue teams carrying torches in the dark. Xinhua reported that more than 300 homes had collapsed in the earthquake.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV said 65 people had been injured. CCTV footage showed emergency responders carrying a person while shining torches towards damaged buildings, some of which had collapsed roofs.
Much of Tibet is closed to foreign journalists, leaving Chinese authorities as the only official source of information.
Residents afraid to return home after earthquake
A Tibetan resident, who was not named, told local media that their family had been about to go to sleep when their home suddenly shook and belongings fell to the floor.
“We rushed out of the house without even having time to get dressed,” the resident said. “My legs were shaking all the way down the stairs, and when I got to the bottom, I was so frightened that I cried.”
The resident said locals were “afraid to return to their homes” and had been forced to “put up tents along the roadside or spend the night in their cars”.
Another Tibetan resident, also unnamed, told Beijing News that the “very strong” earthquake had made their home “creak and shake violently”.
“I was asleep when the earthquake struck. Now everyone has run outside and is too afraid to go back in. I’m on my way to an open area to sleep in the car,” the resident said.