BEIJING — Rescuers combed through a remote area in the Chinese region of Tibet on Friday after a magnitude 7 earthquake killed at least 16 people, injured 76 and collapsed 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 metres (15,748 feet) 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. China’s national broadcaster CCTV aired footage Friday showing collapsed houses and shattered stone walls in Nagqu. More than 12,000 residents in the region were evacuated, with additional shelters under construction, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported. No one was reported missing in Baqen County in Nagqu, where the earthquake struck. 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, at a news 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 epicentre 191 kilometres (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu. It put the earthquake’s depth at 18 kilometres (11 miles). The U.S. agency recorded at least seven aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.3 and 5.2, all of them with a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to its website. 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.
