A strong magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the largest this year in China's western Tibet region, has left 16 people dead, according to tallies.

According to Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV) on the 23rd, local time, the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqên County in the Nagchu City of the Tibet Autonomous Region at 10:33 PM on the 22nd.

The epicenter was observed at 32.40 degrees north latitude and 93.79 degrees east longitude, with a focal depth of 10 km.

As of 1:00 PM on the 23rd, casualties from the earthquake stood at 16 dead and 76 injured.

In addition, 339 houses collapsed or were damaged, and 20 livestock barns suffered damage.

A total of 413 aftershocks had occurred in the earthquake-hit region as of 7:00 AM that day.

The largest aftershock registered at a magnitude of 4.3.

Authorities explained through a press conference that because the earthquake was of a large magnitude and had a shallow hypocenter, strong vibrations were felt in the affected area, resulting in casualties, collapsed houses, and damage to power and communication facilities.

According to the local media Zhupai News, guests at a hotel in Baqên County evacuated after the entire building shook following the earthquake.

Clear cracks appeared in various parts of the hotel building, and tableware and other household items fell to the ground.

A tourist who was vacationing in the neighboring city of Nyingchi shared, "I woke up from the shaking inside my camper, and the entire process lasted for about a minute," adding, "When the shaking was severe, it felt like someone was pushing the camper."

Traffic on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was suspended in some sections immediately after the earthquake.

Authorities deployed about 5,000 personnel for search and rescue operations, treatment of the injured, and resident evacuation efforts, while also beginning inspections of hazardous areas such as roads and tunnels.

Baqên County, where the earthquake occurred, has an average altitude of over 4,800 meters with a population of approximately 56,000 (as of 2020), and intermittent snow is forecasted for the next three days.

Following the earthquake, Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed, "We must go all out to search for and rescue people, treat the injured, and minimize casualties as much as possible."

He continued, "The disaster area is at a high altitude and cold. We must closely monitor the earthquake situation and weather changes, conduct scientific rescue operations, and prevent secondary disasters."

Premier Li Qiang also ordered that, given the frequent aftershocks in the earthquake-affected area, relevant authorities should strengthen earthquake monitoring and forecasting and rigorously carry out disaster prevention and preparedness work.

This is the first time an earthquake of magnitude 7 or greater (based on China Earthquake Networks Center measurements) has occurred in China since the magnitude 7.1 strong earthquake that struck Wushi County in the northwestern Xinjiang Autonomous Region on January 23, 2024.

In the Tibet region, a strong magnitude 6.8 earthquake (7.1 according to the U.S. Geological Survey) occurred in Dingri County, Shigatse City, on January 7 of last year.

(Photo provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration, Yonhap News)