Magnitude 7 earthquake hits China's Xizang region killing 16

A magnitude 7 earthquake hit China's Xizang region, also known as Tibet, on Thursday evening killing at least 16 people and injuring 54 with hundreds of homes collapsing

in the northern city of Nagqu.

Hundreds of rescue workers rushed to the area to search for survivors with China Earthquake Administration initiating a Level-II emergency response.

Firefighting forces arrived in a quake-hit village in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region early Friday, hours after the magnitude 7 earthquake struck the area.

Rubble strewn on the streets in Gangqie Town. Firefighters searching for survivors.

The firefighting team comprising of 110 firefighters, 25 vehicles and four search-and-rescue dogs reached Gangqie Town located near the epicentre in one of the worst hit areas.

The quake struck Baqen County in Nagqu City at 10.33 Thursday night at a depth of 18 kilometres with its epicentre 191 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu,

in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area of northern Xizang. Nagqu is more than 300 kilometres north of the regional capital Lhasa.

The US Geological Survey recorded at least seven aftershocks with magnitude between 4.3 and 5.2, all of them with a depth of 10 kilometres.

At least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds collapsed, government officials said. More than 1,600 people from the local county were deployed for rescue efforts.

Supplies including a thousand prefabricated housing units, around 3,000 tents and folding beds as well as flashlights and winter clothing arrived in the region.

China's official news agency Xinhua said Friday that communication in some areas hit by the quake was down.

Local railway authorities have taken emergency actions to halt trains passing through the region.

The quake caused rockfalls that have forced local authorities to close a section of National Highway 317 allowing only emergency,

rescue and official support vehicles through as crews worked to clear debris.