Magnitude 7.0 quake in Tibet's Naqu kills at least 16, injures 32, Xinhua says
In short
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqing county in Naqu, in China's Xizang (Tibet) autonomous region, at 22:33 local time on 22 October. Xinhua, citing local authorities, reported at least 16 dead and 32 injured and more than 300 collapsed houses as of 02:25 on 23 October.
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A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqing county in Naqu, in the Xizang (Tibet) autonomous region of western China, at 22:33 local time on 22 October, Xinhua reported, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center. Xinhua later reported, citing local authorities, that at least 16 people had died and 32 were injured. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 9 ]
According to the figures as of 02:25 on 23 October, 11 of the injured were seriously hurt and 21 lightly. More than 300 houses collapsed, and Xinhua said relief work was under way and the scale of the damage was still being checked. Newsis, which attributed the figures to the Naqu emergency headquarters, said authorities warned that casualties and damage could rise as rescue work continues. One Newsis headline gave 46 injured rather than 32. [ 6 , 10 , 12 , 13 ]
The epicentre was at 32.40 N, 93.79 E and the focal depth was 10 km. The China Earthquake Networks Center first announced a magnitude of around 6.7 from automatic measurement shortly after the quake, then confirmed 7.0 after formal analysis. [ 1 , 7 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported that the USGS and other overseas agencies also detected the quake at a similar location, and that the USGS placed it about 183 km east-northeast of Naqu. It said the epicentre is about 400 km from the regional capital Lhasa, in an area with an average altitude of 4,864 m within 5 km. Dong-A Ilbo said the epicentre lies in Maru township, about 70 km from the Baqing county seat, in a sparsely populated high-altitude area. It also reported cracked walls, some collapsed buildings, and power and communications outages in Baqing county. [ 4 , 13 ]
Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo said CCTV reported three villages within 5 km of the epicentre and two townships, named in Korean as Gangche and Maru, within 20 km. CCTV gave no casualty information. The China Earthquake Networks Center recorded 54 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or above within 200 km of the epicentre in the past five years, and this one is the largest. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
Kukmin Ilbo noted that the quake came a few weeks after an August flood near the Nepal-Tibet border that killed more than 1,400 people and swept away homes and buildings in northern and central Nepal. [ 6 ]
Why it matters
The documents report deaths, injuries and collapsed housing, with relief work under way and authorities saying the casualty count could rise. Korean outlets also noted that the quake follows an August flood on the Nepal-Tibet border that killed more than 1,400 people.
Key facts
- The quake, magnitude 7.0, struck Baqing county, Naqu, Xizang (Tibet) autonomous region at 22:33 local time on 22 October, per Xinhua citing the China Earthquake Networks Center. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]
- The epicentre was at 32.40 N, 93.79 E and the focal depth was 10 km. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 13 ]
- Xinhua, citing local authorities, reported at least 16 dead and 32 injured as of 02:25 on 23 October; 11 of the injured were seriously hurt and 21 lightly. [ 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 ]
- More than 300 houses collapsed. [ 6 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
- The China Earthquake Networks Center first reported a magnitude of around 6.7 from automatic measurement, then set it at 7.0 after formal analysis. [ 1 , 7 ]
- The quake is the largest in the past five years within 200 km of the epicentre, where 54 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or above occurred in that period. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqing county, Naqu, Xizang (Tibet) at 22:33 local time on 22 October, with its epicentre at 32.40 N, 93.79 E and a depth of 10 km. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- At least 16 people died and 32 were injured, according to Xinhua citing local authorities. [ 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 ]
- More than 300 houses collapsed. [ 6 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
- The China Earthquake Networks Center's initial automatic reading of about 6.7 was raised to 7.0. [ 1 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Number of injured Most reports give 32 injured, but one Newsis headline gives 46 injured and 16 dead without further detail.
- Final casualty and damage figures Authorities said, per Newsis, that the numbers could rise as rescue work continues, and damage is still being assessed.
- Power and communications outages and cracked walls in Baqing county Only one outlet, Dong-A Ilbo, reported this.
- Who announced the casualty figures Kukmin Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo say Xinhua cited local authorities, while Newsis says the Naqu emergency headquarters announced them.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The magnitude 7.0 quake strikes Baqing county, Naqu (local time, 22 October). [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 9 ]
- Yonhap publishes its first report on the quake, with no damage information yet (Seoul time, 23 October). [ 1 ]
- Time of the casualty count of 16 dead and 32 injured, with more than 300 collapsed houses (local time, 23 October). [ 6 , 10 , 13 ]
- Yonhap reports at least 16 dead and more than 300 collapsed houses (Seoul time). [ 8 ]
- A Newsis headline gives 16 dead and 46 injured, while Hankook Ilbo gives 16 dead and 32 injured (Seoul time). [ 11 , 12 ]