Xinhua reported that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Baqing County, Nagqu, killed 16 people, while injury totals differed as rescue and damage assessments continued in China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
The Tibet Earthquake Administration said the quake struck at 10:33 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 22 (14:33 UTC; 10:33 p.m. China Standard Time). It put the magnitude at 7.0 and the depth at 10 kilometers. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) listed a magnitude of 7.0 and a depth of 16 kilometers. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude of 7.0 and a depth of 18 kilometers, placing the quake 191 kilometers east-northeast of Nagqu.
Xinhua, citing Nagqu's emergency management bureau, said 16 people had died and 32 were injured as of 2:25 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 22 (18:25 UTC; 2:25 a.m. China Standard Time Friday, Oct. 23). The report included 11 people seriously injured and homes collapsed in 339 households. Rescue and damage checks were continuing.
ccwb.cn, citing a CCTV News WeChat post relaying Nagqu's disaster response command, reported 46 injured as of 5:20 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 22 (21:20 UTC; 5:20 a.m. China Standard Time Friday, Oct. 23). The Associated Press, citing official media, reported 54 injured but gave no comparable cutoff time, leaving a single current total unconfirmed. ccwb.cn also reported collapsed or damaged homes in 339 households and damage to 20 livestock sheds.
Xinhua said Tibet's fire and rescue service sent 347 responders in 82 vehicles, with more than 300 police sent toward the quake's core area. An earlier Xinhua dispatch reported a power outage and weak communications in the county seat, as well as cracked walls or collapsed homes in Maru Township. The USGS's regional account discusses plate movement and Himalayan uplift but does not identify a fault for the Nagqu event.
