Powerful quake kills at least 16 in Xizang region

Search and rescue efforts are under way in China's Xizang region after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck on Thursday evening, killing at least 16 people and injuring scores more.

The powerful quake hit the regional city of Nagqu at a depth of 18 kilometres, flattening at least 339 homes and leaving 54 people injured.

More than 1,600 rescue workers have been deployed to the high-altitude region.

Emergency supplies, including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, 3,000 tents, folding beds, and winter clothing, arrived on site as temperatures drop.

The earthquake, the largest to hit the region in five years, triggered rockfalls that blocked main transport routes and disrupted communications.

President Xi Jinping has called for all-out efforts in rescue operations and medical relief, as snowfall is forecast over the next three days.