Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Hits Xizang; 16 Dead, 32 Injured

Dragon Media Newsroom

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqen County in Nagqu City, in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Thursday night. At least 16 people were killed and 32 injured, according to the local emergency management bureau.

The China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake struck at 10:33 p.m. local time. As of 2:25 a.m. Friday, 11 of the injured were in serious condition and 21 had minor injuries. More than 300 homes were reported destroyed.

More than 300 police officers have been deployed for rescue and relief work. The Xizang regional fire and rescue team has also sent 347 personnel to the affected area. Rescue, relief and damage-assessment operations are continuing, Xinhua reported.