Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Hits Xizang; 347 Rescuers Deployed

Dragon Media Newsroom

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqen County in Nagqu City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, at 10:33 p.m. local time on Thursday. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the epicenter was in Maru Township, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

Following the earthquake, 347 members of the Xizang fire and rescue team, 82 fire trucks and 15 search dogs were dispatched to the affected area. They took more than 4,200 pieces of equipment and over 9,400 relief and support supplies for rescue operations.

As of Friday morning, at least 16 people had died and 46 had been injured. Eleven of the injured were in serious condition. At least 339 homes were damaged, and 20 livestock shelters were affected.

Rescue teams are searching the affected area and assessing the damage. A section of National Highway 317 was closed after a landslide, with access limited to vehicles involved in rescue and relief work.