DOMINANT ANGLE
Lisbon is particularly focused on the relief operation in Tibet, which it presents through the assessment and instructions relayed by the official Xinhua agency.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Earthquake of magnitude 7 on Thursday at 22:33 local time (15:33 in Lisbon), at least 16 dead according to Xinhua.
- 02
The number of injured has risen from 32 to 54, including 11 serious cases; more than 1,600 people are participating in operations in the Baqing district, according to RTP.
- 03
The Ministry of Emergency Management has raised the national response from level IV to level III and sent a team led by Wang Kun.
ANALYSIS
Lisbon, October 23, 2026. The Portuguese press, with RTP Notícias and SAPO Notícias, is treating the Tibet earthquake as an ongoing relief operation, almost entirely relayed from the official Chinese agency Xinhua's press releases.
The magnitude 7 earthquake struck on Thursday evening at 22:33 local time, or 15:33 in Lisbon, specifies SAPO. The epicenter is located in a mountainous area of the Maru canton, about 190 kilometers east-northeast of Nagchu and 390 kilometers northeast of Lhasa. According to Xinhua, at least 16 people have died. The number of injured has risen from 32 in the early hours to 54 according to the latest report cited by RTP, including 11 in a serious condition. More than 300 families have seen their homes destroyed or damaged, and SAPO mentions more than 300 houses collapsed.
RTP details the ramping up of the response. The Ministry of Emergency Management has raised the national response level from IV to III, on a four-level scale where I designates maximum severity, and sent a team led by Wang Kun, director of the China Earthquake Administration. More than 1,600 people are participating in the operations in the Baqing district, according to local press; tents, blankets, and essential goods have been transported. SAPO, on its part, indicates that the China Earthquake Administration has activated the level II emergency response.
President Xi Jinping has ordered efforts to be focused on searching for survivors and assisting the injured, ensuring the housing of residents and repairing infrastructure, highlighting the difficulties related to altitude, cold, and the risk of aftershocks. Premier Li Qiang has called for strengthened seismic surveillance and prevention of secondary disasters.
SAPO also gives the floor to a local official: the vice-chief of the canton, Lhawang Dagpo, clearly felt the shock in his offices and reported cracks in the walls, according to Xinhua. Electricity and telecommunications are disrupted in the district capital. The site recalls that earthquakes are frequent in the region and that in January 2025, at least 126 people had lost their lives.
