At least 16 people have been killed and 32 others injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Baqen County in the northeastern part of the Xizang Autonomous Region on Thursday evening. Xinhua news agency reported that more than 300 houses have collapsed. Power was cut off and telecommunications services were disrupted in the county seat of Baqen, some 70 kilometres away from the township of Maru where the quake was centred. Tremors were also felt in other parts of Xizang, including Qamdo and Nyingchi. The report said as of 2.25am on Friday, 11 of the injured were in serious condition while 21 sustained minor injuries. The office of the State Council earthquake relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level-IV emergency response after the tremor, while Xizang has activated a Level-II earthquake disaster emergency response, according to the regional emergency command centre. More than 300 police officers have been dispatched to the epicentre for relief work while the regional fire and rescue corps has mobilised 347 personnel to the affected areas. The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said the quake struck at 10.33pm on Thursday at a depth of 10 kilometres. A separate, 4.3-magnitude quake struck Zadoi County in neighbouring Qinghai province some 40 minutes after the initial tremor. Strong quakes were felt in townships along the border between the two counties, Xinhua reported, with cracks appearing in some houses. However, no building collapses or casualties were immediately reported. (Reporting by Xinhua) Edited by Cecil Wong

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