Late on Thursday night, a shallow and powerful earthquake rattled one of the most remote corners of China. The magnitude 7.0 tremor hit Baqen County, part of Nagqu prefecture in the north of Tibet, shortly after half past ten in the evening. Officials in Nagqu say at least 16 people have died. Reports on the number of injured vary from 46 to 54, with 11 described as serious cases.
The epicentre sat in thinly populated mountains about 190 kilometres from the city of Nagqu and some 390 kilometres from Lhasa, according to the US Geological Survey. Because the rupture happened only around ten kilometres underground, the shaking at the surface was severe. Local authorities count 339 homes that collapsed or were damaged, plus 20 sheds used for livestock, a real blow in an area where herding yaks and sheep is a way of life.
The response began within hours. China’s earthquake agency declared its second-highest level of emergency, and the regional government in Tibet launched its own plan. Over 300 police officers, around 340 firefighters and more than 300 soldiers in roughly 20 vehicles drove through the night towards the epicentre, while an air force drone streamed live pictures of the damage. State media reported that at least one person trapped under rubble was pulled out alive.
For survivors, the most urgent threat is the cold, as nights on the plateau in late October drop well below freezing. That explains what was on the first trucks that arrived before dawn on Friday: more than 3,200 tents, about 4,300 quilts, 1,000 prefabricated shelters, padded winter clothing and nearly 700 traditional Tibetan robes. Generators are keeping the lights on while crews inspect roads, bridges, tunnels and loose slopes.
Officials stressed that the full scale of the damage is still being assessed.
