East Asia is dealing with two separate natural disasters at once this weekend, a major earthquake in Tibet and a powerful typhoon bearing down on Taiwan.
A significant earthquake, reported at a magnitude of 7.0, struck the Tibet autonomous region of China, with the heaviest reported damage around Baqen County in Nagqu City. Images distributed by China's state news agency showed firefighters inspecting damaged village houses in the area as emergency crews moved in to assess the scope of the destruction. Full details on casualties and the extent of damage were still emerging as rescue and inspection work continued through the day.
Nagqu sits on the high Tibetan plateau, a region prone to seismic activity because of the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, the same geological forces that pushed up the Himalayas over millions of years. Earthquakes in this part of the world can be especially destructive because many rural homes are built from stone, brick, or mud rather than reinforced concrete, and because communities are often spread across remote, high-altitude terrain that can slow the arrival of rescue teams and heavy equipment.
At the same time, Super Typhoon Champi has been tracking toward Taiwan, prompting the island to close its stock market for the day as a precaution, a step Taiwanese authorities routinely take ahead of major storms to protect trading infrastructure and give workers and investors time to prepare. Beyond the market closure, typhoons of this strength typically bring the risk of flooding, landslides, and extended power outages to Taiwan's mountainous interior and low-lying coastal areas, and local authorities generally use the lead time before landfall to move residents out of the most exposed communities and secure infrastructure.
Together, the two events are a reminder of how often natural hazards cluster in this part of the world, where seismic risk from the Himalayan collision zone sits alongside a Pacific typhoon season that regularly threatens Taiwan, the Philippines, and the coasts of mainland China and Japan.
Watch for updated casualty and damage figures from Chinese authorities on the Tibet earthquake, and for Typhoon Champi's exact landfall track and intensity as it nears Taiwan.
Where did the earthquake hit?
It struck the Tibet autonomous region of China, with damage reported in Baqen County, Nagqu City.
Why did Taiwan close its stock market?
Authorities closed trading as a precaution ahead of the approach of Super Typhoon Champi.