// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Powerful earthquake hits Tibet killing 16 people, reports say
Rescuers search through rubble after Tibet earthquake
A magnitude seven earthquake has hit a mountainous region in Tibet, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens of others, according to Chinese state media reports.
The centre of the quake hit Baqên County in the Nagqu region as on Thursday night, Xinhua reported, citing the local emergency management bureau.
The county - located in what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region after annexing it in the 1950s - is 400km north-east of the region's capital, Lhasa.
Authorities have declared an emergency and deployed rescue teams to the affected area, where 32 others have also been injured.
Power has been cut off and 339 homes have collapsed in the affected region, local reports said.
Rockfall has forced roads in the region to close, making it more difficult for crews to reach impacted high-altitude areas.
Strong tremors were also felt in the cities of Qamdo and Nyingchi in Tibet.
Firefighters are seen helping residents injured by the quake in Baqên, Tibet
Videos on social media show villagers running into the streets as buildings shake violently in the dark, although these have not been independently verified.