Search for survivors after earthquake in China’s Tibet region

BEIJING — Rescuers combed through a remote area in the Chinese region of Tibet on Friday after a magnitude 7 earthquake killed at least 76 people, injured 76 and collapsed hundreds of homes, according to state media.

The disaster struck Nagqu, a city north of Tibet’s capital Lhasa some 4,800 metres above sea level, on Thursday. At least 339 homes collapsed, and officials told journalists they were concerned about further building collapses from aftershocks, as well as casualties from rockslides.

China’s national broadcaster CCTV aired footage Friday showing collapsed houses and shattered stone walls.

More than 12,000 residents in the region were evacuated, with additional shelters under construction, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.

Search and rescue efforts are complicated by the geography and low temperatures, officials said. As of Friday afternoon, rescuers had done three rounds of searches, going through each household and each village, said Dunzhu, the acting mayor of Nagqu city, at a news conference.

More than 5,000 people from three local counties were deployed for rescue efforts.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was 191 kilometres east-northeast of Naqgu. It put the earthquake’s depth at 18 km.

— The Associated Press