Magnitude-7 earthquake in Tibet kills at least 16 and destroys hundreds of homes

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck northern Tibet, killing at least 16 people and injuring 54, Chinese state media reported.

The Nagqu media office said 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds had collapsed. More than 1,600 people from the local county were deployed for search and rescue operations.

Epicentre and aftershocks

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake occurred at 10:33pm on Thursday local time. Its epicentre was 191km east-north-east of Nagqu, at a depth of about 18km.

The agency recorded at least seven aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 5.2. Each was recorded at a depth of about 10km. China’s national broadcaster CCTV described the earthquake as the strongest in the region in five years.

Rescue operations and road closure

More than 300 police officers and almost 350 fire and rescue personnel were sent to affected areas. Supplies included 1,000 prefabricated housing units, about 3,000 tents, folding beds, torches and winter clothing.

Rockfalls forced authorities to close part of national highway 317, allowing only emergency, rescue and official support vehicles through. Railway authorities also took emergency measures to stop trains from passing through the area.

Communications and weather risks

China’s Xinhua news agency reported that communications were down in some affected areas. Intermittent snow was expected in the region over the following three days.

President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in rescue and medical relief work. Nagqu is more than 298km north of Tibet’s capital, Lhasa.