Update: Magnitude 5.9 quake strikes near Tibet's Oct. 22 epicenter; China puts the earlier quake's toll at 16 dead
Oct. 25, 2026 — This updates our Oct. 22 report. A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the Tibetan Plateau at 11:25 UTC on Oct. 25, about 27 km east-northeast of the epicenter of the magnitude 7.0 quake of Oct. 22, the U.S. Geological Survey said. USGS put it about 7 km deep and 218 km east-northeast of Nagqu. A magnitude 5.1 quake struck about two minutes earlier, about 19 km to the west-southwest. USGS's PAGER alert for the 5.9 is green, its lowest level, after an earlier version showed yellow; PAGER notes that many buildings in the region are vulnerable to shaking.
For the Oct. 22 quake, China's earthquake agency placed the epicenter in Baqen County in Nagqu, in the Xizang Autonomous Region. Sixteen people were killed and 76 injured, and 339 homes were damaged or destroyed, Xinhua and China Daily reported. More than 12,400 residents were evacuated. China Daily reported "949 aftershocks" by the afternoon of Oct. 24, by China's count. USGS lists 20 earthquakes of magnitude 4.1 or larger within 150 km since the Oct. 22 quake.
The wall: No Chinese report on the Oct. 25 quake was found, and PAGER figures are model estimates. The distance from Baqen's county seat was not measured.
Tier: Reported (based on USGS's reviewed record and Xinhua's and China Daily's accounts of Chinese officials' figures, as of 00:50 UTC on Oct. 26)
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, M 5.9 - 218 km ENE of Nagqu, China (ID us6000u4ty), read Oct. 26, 2026
- Xinhua, China Earthquake Networks Center report on the Oct. 22 quake (Oct. 22, 2026)
- Xinhua, Oct. 22 quake toll: 16 killed, 76 injured (Oct. 23, 2026)
- China Daily, resettlement and aftershock count (Oct. 25, 2026)
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