A magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the strongest anywhere this year, struck China's Tibet region, killing 16 people.
The quake hit Baqing County in Nagqu, Tibet Autonomous Region, at about 10:33 p.m. on the 22nd, according to Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television. The epicenter was measured at a depth of 10 kilometers. CCTV said it was the most powerful earthquake to hit Tibet in the past five years.
As of 1 p.m. on the 23rd, the quake had left 16 people dead and 76 injured. At least 339 homes collapsed or were destroyed and 20 livestock barns were damaged, the Nagqu city government said. A total of 413 aftershocks were recorded in the affected area through 7 a.m. that day, the largest measuring magnitude 4.3. The U.S. weather service reported at least seven aftershocks of magnitude 4.3 to 5.2 following the main quake.
Authorities said the quake released powerful ground motion because its epicenter was shallow despite its large magnitude. Guests fled a hotel in Baqing County after the entire building shook, local outlet Jiupai News reported. Xinhua said communications were cut off in some of the affected areas. Service was suspended on parts of the railway running through Tibet.
Compounding the damage, snow is forecast for the quake zone, which is expected to hamper recovery efforts. Baqing County sits at an average altitude of more than 4,800 meters in a cold alpine climate, and Xinhua said snow is expected in the area over the next three days. Chinese authorities have deployed more than 5,000 personnel for search and rescue operations and resident evacuations, while inspecting roads, tunnels and other high-risk sites.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said after the quake that rescuers must "make every effort to search and rescue and treat the injured, while minimizing casualties as much as possible." He added that because the disaster area is at high altitude and cold, officials must "closely monitor the earthquake situation and weather changes and carry out rescue work scientifically to prevent secondary disasters."