A magnitude 7 earthquake in Tibet has killed at least 16 people and injured 76, with hundreds of homes destroyed as rescuers search remote, high-altitude communities for survivors amid freezing temperatures, dangerous aftershocks and rockslides.
Rescue teams have searched villages and damaged homes in China's Tibet region after a magnitude 7 earthquake killed at least 16 people, injured 76 and forced more than 12,000 residents to evacuate, state media and local officials said Friday.
The earthquake struck Nagqu, a sparsely populated city in northern Tibet about 4,800 meters (15,750 feet) above sea level, late Thursday. At least 339 homes collapsed, while other buildings developed cracks or began leaning, raising fears they could fall during aftershocks.
Authorities warned that the remote terrain, low temperatures and potential rockslides were complicating rescue operations. Intermittent snowfall is forecast over the next three days, adding to concerns for residents displaced by the disaster.
Nagqu's acting mayor, identified by his surname, Dunzhu, said rescuers had completed three rounds of searches by Friday afternoon, checking individual households and villages for survivors.
More than 5,000 people from three local counties were deployed to support the response. Authorities also sent more than 300 police officers, including traffic and community police, to assess damage, assist evacuations and help residents reach safer locations.
Emergency supplies arriving in the region included 2,000 prefabricated housing units, about 3,400 tents, 2,000 folding beds, flashlights and winter clothing.
More than 12,000 people had been safely relocated, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Videos released by local media showed residents fleeing their homes and taking shelter outdoors or in parked cars as the earthquake shook buildings.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake occurred at 10:33 p.m. Thursday local time, with its epicenter 191 kilometers (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu and a depth of 18 kilometers (11 miles).
China's Earthquake Networks Center reported 413 aftershocks. The U.S. agency separately recorded at least seven aftershocks measuring between magnitude 4.3 and 5.2, each at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles).
The tremors and resulting rockfalls disrupted transportation and communications. Local railway authorities halted trains passing through the affected region, while officials closed part of National Highway 317 to clear debris. Only emergency, rescue and official support vehicles were permitted through the restricted section.
Communication and power supplies were gradually being restored, local officials said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called Friday for all-out rescue operations and medical assistance, underscoring the seriousness of the disaster.
The earthquake was China's strongest since a magnitude 7.1 tremor struck neighboring Qinghai province in January 2024, according to the report. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Yushu in Qinghai in 2010, killing at least 2,698 people and leaving nearly 300 others missing.
