Freezing Snow Complicates Rescue After 7.0 Quake Flattens Nagqu Homes

Intermittent snow is forecast to cover the earthquake zone in northern China for the next three days, a condition that threatens to slow rescue operations. The weather follows a magnitude 7.0 tremor that struck the Tibet region on Thursday evening, killing at least 16 people and injuring 46 others.

The Nagqu media office reported that local government officials confirmed the collapse of 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds. Eleven of the injured are in serious condition, while the other 35 sustained minor wounds. Search and rescue teams are still working through the affected areas.

More than 1,600 personnel from the local county have been deployed to the site. Relief supplies have arrived, including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, folding beds, flashlights, and winter clothing. Xinhua, China's official news agency, stated that communication lines were down in parts of the region on Friday.

Infrastructure disruptions remain in place. Local railway authorities halted train traffic through the affected corridor. Officials also closed a section of National Highway 317 after rockfalls triggered by the quake. Only emergency, rescue, and official support vehicles are permitted to pass while crews remove debris from the road.

The U.S. Geological Survey located the epicenter 191 kilometers east-northeast of Nagqu at a depth of 18 kilometers. The event occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time. CCTV identified the event as the largest earthquake to hit the region in five years. Nagqu is situated more than 300 kilometers north of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.