Snowfall delays rescue after 339 homes collapse in Tibet

Three hundred and thirty-nine homes collapsed in the city of Nagqu after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck northern Tibet on Thursday evening. At least 16 people died in the disaster, and 46 others were injured, according to official media reports.

City officials stated that 20 livestock sheds were also destroyed. Eleven of the injured are in serious condition, while the remaining 35 sustained minor injuries. Search and rescue teams are still active in the area.

More than 1,600 personnel from the local county have been deployed to assist with the rescue. Relief supplies have arrived on site, including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, approximately 3,000 tents, and winter clothing.

Local railway authorities halted train traffic through the affected region. Communication lines are down in parts of the area, according to Xinhua, China's official news agency.

A section of National Highway 317 is closed due to rockfalls triggered by the tremor. Only emergency and support vehicles are permitted to pass while workers remove debris.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake at 10:33 p.m. local time with a depth of 18 kilometres. The epicenter was located 191 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu. Xinhua reported that intermittent snow is expected across the zone for the next three days.

CCTV described the event as the strongest earthquake in the region in five years. Nagqu is situated more than 300 kilometres north of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan region.