State media reported that at least 16 people died in a magnitude 7.0 quake in Baqing county, Tibet; Xinhua said more than 12,000 residents were evacuated from the remote, high-altitude area.
Local media accounts described residents spending the night outdoors after the quake. Some slept in cars, while others set up tents beside roads; the accounts said people feared returning to their homes.
Xinhua reported 76 injuries, 11 of them serious, and said 339 homes had suffered damage or collapse. Rescue workers and police, along with sniffer dogs and equipment, were deployed to locate people under the rubble, CCTV reported. The Straits Times reported that more than 300 soldiers were also mobilized.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for authorities to prioritize search efforts and medical care for injured residents amid cold conditions, Xinhua reported. State media placed Baqing above 4,500 meters in elevation and said the road journey from Lhasa takes at least 10 hours.
Nagqu police said they sent more than 300 officers to the epicenter, while the China Earthquake Networks Center reported 413 aftershocks, as recounted in earlier coverage of the quake response. The Straits Times also noted that an earthquake in Tibet's Tingri county killed at least 126 people in January 2025.
