LHASA – Sixteen people were killed and 32 others injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Baqen county of Nagqu city in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region at 10:33 pm Thursday (Beijing Time), according to the city's emergency management bureau.

As of 2:25 am on Friday, 11 of the injured were in serious condition, while 21 sustained minor injuries. Over 300 houses collapsed.

The damage caused by the quake is being further evaluated, and disaster relief work is underway.

More than 300 police officers have been dispatched to the epicenter for relief work while the regional fire and rescue corps has mobilized 347 personnel to the affected areas.