Fresh Earthquake Jolts Tibet, Recovery Efforts Continue

Lhasa, October 23: Tibet experienced another earthquake early Friday, adding to the anxiety of residents who were already dealing with the aftermath of a major quake the night before.

The tremor struck at 5:54 AM with a magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter scale. It came roughly 24 hours after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the region at 8:03 PM on Thursday.

Seismic records placed the tremor's depth at about 15 km, though other figures cited a depth of 173 km. The epicentre was located around 400 km away from Lhasa.

The Thursday earthquake brought widespread destruction, collapsing more than 300 houses. About 16 people died, and 32 were injured. Eleven of the injured were described as being in serious condition as of 2:25 AM on Friday.

Officials say assessments of the damage are still underway. Relief and rescue work remains active, and aid continues to reach those affected.

More than 300 police personnel have been sent to the area surrounding the epicentre. The regional fire and rescue department has also assigned 347 employees to the impacted regions.

Tibet has seen significant seismic activity recently. A 5.0 magnitude tremor occurred on September 3 at a depth of approximately 14 km. In January 2025, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake killed over 120 people and injured hundreds more.

Experts believe that rising temperatures, accelerating glacier melt, and increasingly severe weather patterns could intensify the risk of natural hazards in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The new tremor underscores the region's fragility, particularly for communities still recovering from earlier disasters.