A strong earthquake struck Tibet in southwestern China on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring 65 others, Chinese state media reported.

Hundreds of homes in the remote Himalayan region collapsed due to the magnitude 7.0 quake, Xinhua reported.

China's President Xi Jinpinghas ordered "all-out search and rescue efforts" to locate missing people, provide "prompt medical treatment for the injured" and called for "every effort to minimize casualties," Xinhua said.

The earthquake is the strongest to hit the region in the past five years, broadcaster CCTV said, and the most powerful to hit China since January 2024.

How severe was the earthquake in Tibet?

At least 339 residential buildings and 20 livestock sheds have collapsed, local government officials said, according to state media. 

Of the 65 injured, 11 were in serious condition, the local media office said.

Disaster relief efforts were ongoing as officials assess the scale of the damage, the state news agency added.

Xinhua reported that power and communication lines to the area were also disrupted.

Over 1,600 people from the local county have been deployed to assist with relief efforts.

More ⁠than ​12,000 people have been relocated, ​state media said.

What do we know about the area where the earthquake struck?

The earthquake's epicenter is around 190 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Nagqu, a city around 300 kilometers north of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, the US Geological Survey said.

The mountainous area is sparsely populated.

The quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers. Shallow earthquakes (up to 70 kilometers deep) are considered more dangerous and destructive.

How often do earthquakes hit China?

Earthquakes are relatively common in China.

In January 2025, a quake near Mount Everest in Tibet's Tingri region killed at least 126 people.

In 2010, at least 2,698 people were killed when a magnitude 7.1 quake hit Qinghai province, which neighbors Tibet.

Edited by: Rana Taha

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