At least 16 people were killed and 46 others injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Baqen County in Nagqu City, in China's southwestern Xizang Autonomous Region, at 10:33 p.m. Thursday local time, according to the city's earthquake relief headquarters.
The regional disaster prevention, reduction and relief committee activated a Level III emergency response for natural disaster relief on Friday.
As of 5:20 a.m. Friday, 11 of the injured were in serious condition, while 35 had sustained minor injuries. More than 330 houses had collapsed or been damaged.
Authorities were continuing to assess the extent of the damage as relief operations got underway.
Emergency supplies allocated by authorities at various levels began arriving in the affected area early Friday. The supplies included 1,000 sets of prefabricated houses, more than 3,200 tents, over 2,800 folding beds, and daily necessities such as quilts, stoves and clothing.