Powerful earthquake hits Tibet, killing 16 people

Powerful earthquake hits Tibet, killing 16 people, reports say

A magnitude 7 earthquake has hit a mountainous region in Tibet killing at least 16 people, according to Chinese state media

Authorities have declared an emergency and deployed rescue teams to the area, where 54 people have been injured

State media is often the only source of information on Tibet, which is tightly controlled by China since it was annexed in the 1950s

The centre of the quake hit Baqên County in the Nagqu region on Thursday night, Xinhua reported, citing the local emergency management bureau

The county is 400km north-east of Tibet’s capital, Lhasa

More than 300 homes have reportedly collapsed and power has largely been cut off to the region