Tibet quake: relief teams arrive as road controls remain

Some residents in Maru township in northern Tibet were moving into tents on Friday, October 23, 2026, after an earthquake damaged homes, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV’s reporting relayed by Jiemian. Rescue teams and supplies were reaching the area. But clearing roads did not mean reopening them to public traffic, and supplies arriving did not establish whether everyone relocated had somewhere to stay.

Nagqu government officials reported 16 deaths and 76 injuries, along with 339 households whose housing had collapsed or been damaged. Those figures described conditions as of 1 p.m. China time and were announced at a 3 p.m. briefing, according to Jiemian’s account of CCTV reporting and local government information. The housing total combined collapsed and damaged homes; it did not mean 339 houses had collapsed.

The earthquake struck Baqing County in Nagqu on Thursday, October 22. The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre’s reviewed record places the earthquake at about 10:33 p.m. China time, with a magnitude of 7.0 and a depth of 10 kilometres.

Local officials warned that homes left cracked or leaning could collapse during aftershocks, Reuters reported in a dispatch republished by KSL. Officials also said communications and electricity were gradually being restored. Their statements did not establish that residents could return home.

Road crews had cleared a rockfall-affected stretch of G317 by 3 a.m. China time on Friday, regional transport authorities told China’s state news agency Xinhua. The same report described controls excluding civilian vehicles while allowing emergency, rescue and official support traffic. It gave no time for lifting those restrictions.

A later statement from China’s Transport Ministry, republished by The Paper on Friday afternoon, said rescue vehicles could pass on earthquake-area roads while civilian vehicles remained temporarily prohibited. The ministry also reported damage on parts of G345 and S301.

For anyone considering a journey, physical clearance and permission to travel were separate questions. Removing fallen rocks allowed a route to carry emergency traffic without necessarily opening it to other drivers. Regional transport authorities said the restrictions were intended to give rescue vehicles priority.

Supplies were reaching the disaster area during the same overnight response. By 4:30 a.m. China time on Friday, arrivals included 3,239 tents, 2,821 folding beds and 4,280 quilts, according to a separate Xinhua dispatch republished on China’s government website, which cited the Emergency Management Ministry.

That dispatch distinguished firefighters who had arrived from those still travelling. By 6:30 a.m., 120 personnel and 27 vehicles had reached the disaster area. Another 230 personnel and 56 vehicles were still on the way. The figures covered that firefighting contingent, not every organisation taking part in the response.

The supply counts documented deliveries, but left several practical questions unanswered: how many tents had been erected, how many people they could accommodate and which households had received bedding. The figures alone established neither adequate shelter for everyone nor a shortage. Dividing the number of relocated residents by the number of delivered tents would not resolve those missing details.

CCTV reported that 12,489 people had been relocated, according to Jiemian. Its account from Maru described villagers entering tents as police, firefighters and medical teams arrived overnight and into the morning. That described some residents reaching shelter; the relocation total did not establish where every person moved was staying.