Beijing/Lhasa: At least 16 people were killed, and 65 others injured after a magnitude seven earthquake struck Baqen County of Nagqu City in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, the city’s earthquake relief headquarters said.
The powerful earthquake that struck around 10:33 pm Thursday prompted the regional disaster prevention, reduction and relief committee to activate a Level III emergency response for natural disaster relief Friday.
Eleven of the injured were in serious condition, while others sustained minor injuries. More than 330 houses collapsed or were damaged.
The damage caused by the quake is being further evaluated, and disaster relief work is underway, state-run Xinhua news agency reported Friday from provincial capital Lhasa.
Earthquake relief supplies allocated by the authorities at various levels have been arriving at the quake-hit zone as of early Friday morning, including 1,000 sets of prefabricated houses, more than 3,200 tents, over 2,800 folding beds, and other daily necessities like quilts, stoves and clothes.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts for the missing and prompt medical treatment for the injured affected by the quake.
Xi made the remarks in his instruction, calling for every effort to minimise casualties.
The Tibetan Plateau is known to be prone to heavy earthquakes as it sits right over the place where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet, often colliding with huge force.
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