NAGQU, Tibet — A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck a remote, mountainous part of Tibet on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens, Chinese state media said, according to BBC News and The Associated Press via CBC News.
The quake was centred in Baqên County in the Nagqu region, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) north-east of the regional capital, Lhasa, Xinhua reported. The U.S. Geological Survey said it struck at 10:33 p.m. local time at a depth of 18 kilometres.
The Nagqu media office said at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed. Of 46 people injured, 11 were in serious condition, the office said; the BBC, citing local emergency officials via Xinhua, put the injured at 65. Local media said more than 12,400 people had been relocated, and state media reported more than 400 aftershocks by Friday morning, the BBC reported.
Premier Li Qiang called for “urgent efforts” to organise rescue operations and medical treatment, noting the area sits at about 4,800 metres (15,750 feet) and is prone to aftershocks. Beijing allocated 50 million yuan (about $7.5 million) for relief.
Rockfalls closed a section of National Highway 317 to all but emergency traffic, railway authorities halted trains through the region, and communications were down in parts of the area, Xinhua said. Survivors spent the night outdoors in subzero temperatures, and intermittent snow is forecast for the next three days. CCTV called it the region’s biggest earthquake in five years.
Sources: BBC News, CBC News / The Associated Press
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