China Earthquake Kills 16, Suspends Tibet Rail Services
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck China’s Tibet region on Thursday, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens, according to Xinhua. The quake collapsed at…
China’s Tibet region faces rescue work and suspended rail services after a powerful earthquake. An earthquake magnitude 7 strikes the region on Thursday, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The United States Geological Survey placed the epicenter 183 kilometers East-Northeast of Nagqu. At least 339 houses collapsed, according to Xinhua, while authorities continued assessing the damage.
The quake disrupted transport and damaged homes in the affected area. Railway authorities suspended train services through the region, state media CCTV reported, and a rescue team was dispatched to the epicenter.
Emergency response and damage
The China Earthquake Administration activated a level II emergency response, its second-highest tier, Chinese broadcaster CGTN said. The response came as reports from villages near the epicenter described injuries and visible structural damage.
Authorities found at least two injured people in villages near the epicenter, along with houses showing visible cracks, Reuters reported, citing a state broadcaster. Local media videos showed people leaving their homes as the earthquake struck.
The immediate effects reach beyond damaged buildings. With rail services suspended through affected areas, the quake has interrupted train travel while rescue teams work near the epicenter. The reported collapse of hundreds of houses also points to the scale of the assessment still underway, though Xinhua said the full extent of the damage had not yet been established.
The area’s terrain adds to the challenges described in the reports. The China Earthquake Networks Center said the average elevation within a 5-kilometer radius of the epicenter exceeds 4,800 meters.
High-altitude region hit
The earthquake struck a region where communities and transport routes sit at considerable elevation. CNN reported the epicenter’s position based on the United States Geological Survey, while Xinhua provided the casualty and house-collapse figures.
China has experienced other severe earthquakes in recent years, according to CNN’s account. A 7.1-magnitude quake struck a mountainous, remote part of the country’s far western Xinjiang region in January 2024, killing three people and injuring scores more.
In December 2023, an earthquake in Jishishan county in Gansu province, northwest China, killed over one hundred people, CNN reported. The outlet described it as the country’s deadliest earthquake in nearly a decade.
For now, the latest official figures in the report remain at least 16 dead, dozens injured and at least 339 houses collapsed, as damage assessments continue.
Source: cnn.com