THE WORLD, EXPLAINED.

Rescue searches continue after deadly earthquake in Tibet

Officials warn of aftershocks as teams search remote communities.

By Ayal · October 23, 2026

A landscape in Nagqu County, Tibet, photographed in July 2007. Archival location context; not a photograph of the October 2026 earthquake or its damage. Luo Shaoyang from Beijing, China / Tibet landscape.jpg — CC BY 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tibet_landscape.jpg License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 Provider-sized copy; no content edits. Display may crop to fit cards.

Rescuers searched communities around Nagqu in Tibet on October 23 after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck the previous night. AP, citing Chinese state media, reported at least 16 deaths and dozens of injuries.

Officials described difficult terrain, cold conditions and the risk of further collapses. Casualty counts can change as searches continue; this brief reflects the dated AP report rather than a final assessment.