The number of people injured in a magnitude-7 earthquake that struck China's south-western region of Tibet has risen to 76, according to local government authorities, while the death count remains unchanged at 16.
The quake, with an epicentre in the high-altitude city of Nagqu, was the strongest to hit the country since January 2024.
At least 339 homes collapsed, on Thursday, local time, and officials told journalists they were concerned about further building collapses from aftershocks, as well as casualties from rockslides.
Emergency services personnel coordinate rescue efforts. (Reuters: Nagqu Police Department/Handout)
China's national broadcaster CCTV aired footage 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, about 3,400 tents and 2,000 folding beds, as well as torches and winter clothing, arrived in the region.
People set up tents for quake-affected residents at a primary school. (AP: Xinhua via AP)
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 10:33pm local time on Thursday, with its epicentre 191 kilometres east-north-east of Nagqu.
It put the earthquake's depth at 18km.
The US agency recorded at least seven aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.3 and 5.2, all of them with a depth of 10km, according to its website.
Xinhua said on Friday that communication was down in some areas hit by the quake.
Local railway authorities have taken emergency action to halt trains passing through the region.
Firefighters inspect earthquake-hit village houses. (AP: Xinhua via AP)
The earthquake also caused rockfalls that have forced 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 snow is expected in the earthquake region over the next three days.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts in rescue operations and medical relief work, issuing instructions on Friday morning.
The Chinese leader does so only in major disasters and accidents.
AP/Reuters