Magnitude 7 earthquake kills 16 people in China’s Tibet, Xinhua reports

A magnitude 7 earthquake has struck China's southwestern region of Tibet, killing 16 people and wounding 32 others, state media reported.

The quake hit at about 10:33pm local time on Thursday, according to China's Xinhua news agency. Eleven of the injured were in serious condition, while 21 sustained minor injuries.

A level-II earthquake disaster emergency response was activated in the area. The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was in a mountainous area of the remote Himalayan region.

Videos released by local state media showed people leaving their homes and seeking shelter outside in the dark as the tremor struck, with residents gathering in open areas away from buildings.

The earthquake is the strongest to hit China since January 2024. Tibet sits on one of the world's most seismically active zones, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, making powerful quakes a recurring threat to the region's remote communities.

Rescue and relief operations were under way in the affected area, with local authorities assessing casualties and damage in villages near the epicentre. The remote, mountainous terrain was expected to complicate the emergency response in the hours after the quake.