A magnitude 7 earthquake has struck China’s southwestern region of Tibet, killing 16 people and injuring 32 others.
Local nes reports that the earthquake struck at about 10:33 p.m. local time on Thursday, with 11 injured in serious condition and 21 with minor injuries as of 2:25 a.m. on Friday.
Data from the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC) showed that the quake struck a sparsely populated, high-altitude county in Nagqu, northern Tibet, at a depth of 10 kilometres.
The average elevation within five kilometres of the epicentre is about 4,864 metres above sea level, while the location is approximately 400 kilometres from the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
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Report said local authorities found at least two injured people in a village near the epicentre, while some houses in nearby villages developed cracks.
Videos released by local state media showed residents leaving their homes and seeking shelter outdoors or in parked vehicles following the tremor.
One resident said the strong earthquake woke them up, adding that the house could be heard creaking during the tremor.
The CENC said the earthquake was strongly felt in the surrounding area.
Reports say local fire and rescue teams have been mobilised and are heading to the affected region.
Accorsing to CENC data, Several smaller tremors, measuring between magnitudes 3 and 4, were also recorded in surrounding areas following the main earthquake.
The earthquake is the strongest to hit China since January 2024.
In 2010, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Yushu in neighbouring Qinghai Province, killing at least 2,698 people and leaving nearly 300 others missing.
Reuters
