At least 16 people were killed and 32 others injured after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck China’s Tibetan Plateau on October 22, according to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).
Eleven of the injured were in serious condition, CCTV reported, citing the emergency response command centre in the Tibet autonomous region.
Initial inspections found that 339 houses had collapsed. Local authorities have deployed more than 300 police officers to assist with ongoing rescue operations.
Earthquake followed by 5.2 aftershock
The earthquake struck at about 10.33pm local time on October 22, approximately 191km east-northeast of Nagqu in Tibet, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
A magnitude-5.2 aftershock followed the main quake.
The sparsely populated area around the epicentre has an average elevation of about 4,800 metres, posing challenges for rescue efforts in the high-altitude region.
China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the Ministry of Emergency Management had activated a Level IV national emergency response and dispatched a working group to the affected area.
Tibetan Plateau has history of major earthquakes
The Tibetan Plateau has experienced several major earthquakes since 1900, according to the USGS.
The agency recorded 29 earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or above within the plateau and surrounding regions during that period.
The most powerful was a magnitude-8.6 earthquake in 1950 that killed more than 4,000 people, the USGS said.
