A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqên County, Nagqu City, in the Tibet Autonomous Region (Xizang), at 10:33 p.m. local time on Thursday 22 October 2026. USGS placed the epicentre 183 km east-northeast of Nagqu city. GDACS estimates that about 10,000 people were exposed to shaking of MMI VII or above. According to Chinese officials, 16 people were killed, 76 were injured and 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds were damaged or destroyed, and more than 12,000 residents were evacuated, in an area averaging over 4,800 m in altitude. Xinhua reporters described many houses completely collapsed in Maru Township, one of the hardest-hit areas near the epicentre. The Central Tibetan Administration cites reports of at least 20 deaths and says authorities are restricting Tibetan volunteers’ access to the area, with local sources indicating extensive destruction in Zasip, Marru and Gangchen villages. With independent ground reporting still unavailable, satellite imagery is one of the few ways to check the condition of the region’s monasteries and heritage sites.