TCHRD Raises Alarm Over Information Blackout, Aid Restrictions After Tibet Earthquake

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 29 Oct: The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has raised concerns over an alleged information blackout, forced video confessions, and administrative crackdowns imposed by Chinese authorities across occupied Tibet following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Drachen County in the Nagchu region on 22 October 2026.

According to an update released by TCHRD, a Dharamsala-based rights group, local Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers are suppressing independent updates regarding casualties and heavily restricting grassroots humanitarian aid. While Chinese state media continue to report a death toll of 16, with 76 injured, sources on the ground cited by TCHRD indicate that the actual casualties may be significantly higher. 

The organisation reported that Chinese authorities are attempting to conceal the full scale of the disaster, with one local source estimating approximately 50 fatalities within their immediate social circle alone. 

Following the earthquake, strict security protocols were reportedly deployed across occupied Tibet, particularly around the epicentre in Drachen County and surrounding rural villages. 

According to TCHRD, local Tibetans and volunteers attempting to travel to the affected region to provide emergency humanitarian assistance are being required to sign pledges agreeing to government directives before being permitted entry.

TCHRD’s latest findings build on earlier reports that Chinese authorities turned away Tibetans and volunteers attempting to reach the earthquake zone to assist survivors. Videos reportedly posted by Tibetans inside occupied Tibet on Douyin, China’s domestic short-video platform, subsequently circulated across WeChat, Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms, bringing accounts from inside Tibet to a wider audience.

The accompanying accounts indicated that volunteers were stopped at checkpoints leading into Drachen County and reportedly turned away by authorities, who claimed that conditions in the disaster zone were not as severe as the volunteers believed. 

The latest allegations echo concerns raised during previous disasters in occupied Tibet, including the January 2025 earthquake in Dingri County and the August 2026 flooding in Kyirong, when reports also emerged of Tibetan volunteers and community-led relief groups facing restrictions while attempting to deliver emergency assistance.