Tibet Shaken: Rescue Teams Battle Collapsed Buildings, Landslides After Deadly 7.0 Magnitude Quake Hits

Shigatse, China— A magnitude 7.0 earthquake ripped through the Tibetan plateau before dawn, killing at least 16 people and injuring 54 others as stone and concrete homes folded in on sleeping families.

The China Earthquake Networks Center placed the epicenter in a high-altitude county west of Shigatse, at a shallow depth that amplified shaking across a wide radius. Roads cracked open. Power lines dropped. In three townships closest to the fault, officials said more than 80% of traditional dwellings suffered partial or total collapse.

By mid-morning, the military's Western Theater Command had pushed in two battalions and a medical unit. They moved on foot where landslides sealed the passes. "We have villages completely cut off," a local emergency official told state radio. "Heavy equipment can't get through. We are clearing by hand."

Hospitals in Shigatse city reported receiving the first wave of injured around 6 a.m. local time. Doctors described crush injuries, broken limbs, and hypothermia. The injured count climbed through the day as teams reached outlying hamlets. At least 12 of the 54 were listed in critical condition, according to regional health authorities.

The quake hit a zone where building codes collide with reality. Newer government-built housing largely stayed up. Older, owner-built houses of rammed earth and unreinforced masonry did not. That split was visible street by street, with one building standing and the next flattened.

Aftershocks kept coming. The largest, a 5.1, hit at 9:42 a.m. and sent rescue teams scrambling from unstable structures. The provincial seismology bureau warned residents to stay outside, a near-impossible order with temperatures near freezing and wind picking up on the plateau.

Telecoms were patchy. China Mobile said three base stations near the epicenter were down, with crews trying to restore coverage via emergency satellite trucks. That blackout left families unable to confirm who was missing, and local officials unable to file accurate casualty reports until afternoon.

Beijing said it had allocated emergency funds and 15,000 relief items, including tents, quilts, and food. The Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level 2 response. Still, access remains the choke point. Heavy excavators were stuck 40 kilometers from the worst-hit villages at last check.

Teams were still working after dark with headlamps and listening devices, calling for silence in the rubble and waiting for any sound back.