The number of people injured in a magnitude 7 earthquake that struck China’s southwestern region of Tibet has risen to 76, local government authorities said in press conference on Friday, while the death count remained unchanged at 16.
The quake, with an epicentre in Nagqu, a high-altitude city in northern Tibet, a sparsely populated region of China, is the strongest to hit the country since January 2024.
Homes that developed cracks or began leaning during the main earthquake may be at risk of collapse during aftershocks, although communication and power supplies are gradually being restored, local officials said during the press conference.
More than 300 police officers including traffic and community police personnel were sent to the epicentre to carry out rescue and emergency relief work, the Nagqu police department said in a separate post on messaging app WeChat earlier on Friday.
Officers sent to the region checked for damage to homes and helped people relocate to safer locations, the Nagqu police also said in the WeChat post.
A video the police posted on TikTok sister app Douyin showed officers packing supplies in a truck in the dark and inspecting a building and rubble with flashlights.
More than 12,000 people have been safely relocated, state media outlet Xinhua reported.
Videos previously released by local official media showed people leaving their homes and seeking shelter outside or in their cars parked on the street. One resident reported being awakened by the strong quake and hearing the house squeaking during the tremor.
The China Earthquake Networks Center said in a post that 413 aftershocks had been recorded.
In 2010, a magnitude 7.1 tremor struck Yushu in neighbouring Qinghai province, killing at least 2,698 people and leaving nearly 300 people missing.