BEIJING: The number of people injured in a magnitude 7 earthquake that struck China’s southwestern Tibet region has risen to 65, while the death toll remains at 16, local authorities said on Friday.
The earthquake’s epicentre was in Nagqu, a sparsely populated, high-altitude city in northern Tibet. It was the strongest earthquake to hit China since January 2024.
More than 300 police personnel, including traffic and community officers, were deployed to the affected area to assist with rescue and emergency relief operations, the Nagqu police department said in a post on WeChat.
Officers inspected homes for damage and helped residents move to safer locations. Footage shared by police on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, showed officers loading supplies onto a truck at night and inspecting buildings and rubble with flashlights.
State news agency Xinhua reported that more than 12,000 people had been safely relocated.
Videos released earlier by local media showed residents leaving their homes and taking shelter outdoors or inside vehicles parked along the streets. One resident said the powerful tremor woke them up, while the house creaked during the shaking.
The China Earthquake Networks Center reported that 413 aftershocks had been recorded following the quake.
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.