Deadly Earthquake Strikes Tibet, Claiming 16 Lives and Damaging Over 300 Homes

Lhasa, October 23 (Daily Kiran) : A devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 struck Tibet, resulting in the deaths of 16 individuals and injuring 32 others. The quake occurred early Thursday morning, and rescue operations are currently underway, according to the city’s emergency management bureau.

As of Friday morning, 11 of the injured are reported to be in critical condition, while 21 others sustained minor injuries. The earthquake caused significant destruction, collapsing over 300 homes in the region.

Efforts to assess the full extent of the damage are ongoing, with relief operations progressing rapidly to assist those affected. More than 300 police officers have been deployed to the epicenter of the earthquake, and an additional 347 personnel from the regional fire and rescue department are working in the impacted areas.

This earthquake follows a previous tremor of 5.0 magnitude that hit Tibet on September 3, which occurred approximately 14 kilometers deep. In January 2025, a more severe earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale resulted in over 120 fatalities and numerous injuries.

According to India’s National Center for Seismology (NCS), the latest earthquake struck at a depth of 173 kilometers, approximately 400 kilometers from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Experts warn that rising temperatures, melting glaciers, and increasing extreme weather events may heighten the risk of natural disasters in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This recent quake has once again highlighted the region’s vulnerability, as residents continue to cope with the aftermath of previous disasters.

The earthquake occurred just weeks after a deadly avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, which triggered severe flooding that devastated homes, roads, and bridges. Additionally, over 1,400 lives were lost in catastrophic flooding in the Nepal-Tibet border area in August, underscoring the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region.