Rescuers search for survivors after deadly earthquake in China’s Tibet region

BEIJING -- Rescuers combed through a remote area in the Chinese region of Tibet on Friday after a magnitude 7 earthquake that killed at least 16 people, injuring 54 and collapsing hundreds of homes, according to Chinese state media.

The disaster struck Nagqu, a city north of Tibet’s capital Lhasa that's some 4,800 meters (5,249 yards) above sea level, on Thursday. At least 339 homes collapsed, and officials told journalists they were concerned about further building collapses from aftershocks, as well as casualties from rockslides.

Search and rescue efforts are complicated by the geography and low temperatures, officials said. As of Friday afternoon, rescuers had done three rounds of searches, going through each household, and each village, said Dunzhu, the acting mayor of Nagqu city, said in a press conference.

More than 5,000 people from three local counties were deployed for rescue efforts. Supplies including 2,000 prefabricated housing units, around 3,400 tents and 2,000 folding beds, as well as flashlights and winter clothing arrived in the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time on Thursday, with its epicenter 191 kilometers (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu. It put the earthquake’s depth at 18 kilometers (11 miles).

The U.S. agency recorded at least seven aftershocks with magnitude between 4.3 and 5.2, all of them with a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to its website.

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China’s official news agency Xinhua said on Friday that communication in some areas hit by the quake was down. Local railway authorities have taken emergency actions to halt trains passing through the region.

The earthquake also caused rockfalls that have forced local authorities to close a section of National Highway 317, allowing only emergency, rescue and official support vehicles through as crews worked to clear debris, according to Xinhua.

Intermittent snows are expected in the earthquake region over the next three days, Xinhua said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts in rescue operations and medical relief work, issuing instructions Friday morning. The Chinese leader does so only in major disasters and accidents.