The latest local government update put the death toll from the magnitude-7.0 earthquake at 16 and raised the injury count to 65, up from an earlier tally.
The quake struck Nagqu on Oct. 22. Nagqu's emergency management bureau had listed 32 people injured, including 11 seriously, as of 2:25 p.m. EDT that day, Xinhua reported. EconoTimes previously covered the initial casualty figures and differing injury totals.
Xinhua’s tally put the number of people safely relocated above 12,000. A post from the China Earthquake Networks Center put the aftershock count at 413. Nagqu police said their deployment included more than 300 officers for emergency relief; teams inspected residences and assisted residents with relocation.
Historical context cited by The Straits Times included a 2010 magnitude-7.1 earthquake in neighboring Qinghai province: at least 2,698 people died and nearly 300 were reported missing. The outlet said the Nagqu quake was China's most powerful since January 2024.
