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The powerful earthquake that struck around 10:33 pm on Thursday prompted the regional disaster prevention, reduction and relief committee to activate a Level III emergency response for natural disaster relief on Friday.
Eleven of the injured were in serious condition, while others sustained minor injuries. More than 330 houses collapsed or were damaged.
The damage caused by the quake is being further evaluated, and disaster relief work is underway, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday from provincial capital Lhasa.
Earthquake relief supplies allocated by the authorities at various levels have been arriving at the quake-hit zone as of early Friday morning, including 1,000 sets of prefabricated houses, more than 3,200 tents, over 2,800 folding beds, and other daily necessities like quilts, stoves and clothes.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts for the missing and prompt medical treatment for the injured affected by the quake.
Xi made the remarks in his instruction, calling for every effort to minimise casualties.
The Tibetan plateau is known to be prone to heavy earthquakes as it sits right over the place where the tectonic Eurasian and Indian plates meet, often colliding with huge force.
China ordered an “all-out” rescue effort in Tibet on Friday after an earthquake killed at least 16 people, injured dozens and flattened hundreds of homes, state media reported.
Footage showed rescue workers with torches clambering in the dark through some of the more than 300 houses that Xinhua said collapsed in the 7.0-magnitude quake on Thursday evening.
Diners ran out of restaurants and items fell off wobbling supermarket shelves as the tremor struck, according to clips on state broadcaster CCTV, which said 65 people were injured.
One resident told local media that her family had just gone to bed when her home shook, knocking over objects, and that they “rushed outside without even taking the time to get dressed.”
“My legs were shaking the entire time I was heading downstairs and by the time I reached the bottom, I was so terrified that I burst into tears,” the woman said.
Local residents “are afraid to return to their homes,” she said. “They set up tents along the roadside or spent the night in their cars.”
A man told the Beijing News that the “very strong” quake left his home “creaking and rattling”.
“I was asleep when it hit. Everyone has run outside now and is too afraid to go back in. I’m currently driving to an open area to sleep in my car,” he said.
Broadcaster CCTV also showed emergency personnel with helmets carrying a person and shining flashlights on damaged buildings, some with collapsed roofs.
Tibet is largely inaccessible to foreign journalists and Chinese authorities are the only source of official information.
President Xi Jinping said the tremor caused “significant casualties” and took place at a “high-altitude location” in cold weather.
“(We) must go all-out to carry out search and rescue operations and do our utmost to treat the injured, so as to minimise casualties,” Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
He called for assistance for residents and rescue equipment to be sent to the area promptly.
The epicentre was in a mountainous area about 190 kilometres east-northeast of Nagqu, and 390 kilometres northeast of the regional capital Lhasa, the US Geological Survey said.
It struck at 10:33 pm (7:33 pm PKT) on Thursday at a shallow depth of around 10 kilometres.
Lhawang Dagpo, a local official in the Maru township, the quake’s epicentre, said it put cracks in the walls of his office, according to Xinhua.
Power and telecoms services were disrupted in the county seat, the agency said.
Baqing County has mobilised more than 1,600 people to help in the relief operation, CCTV reported.
The municipal fire and rescue brigade has dispatched 25 vehicles and 110 personnel, and the Nagqu Armed Police Detachment sent 225 officers and soldiers and 18 vehicles, CCTV said.
As of 4:30 am (1:30 am PKT) on Friday, relief supplies including 1,000 prefabricated houses, 3,239 tents, four generators and 1,000 flashlights had been delivered, it added.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate statements on Friday, extended their condolences to the Chinese president, the bereaved families and the people of China. Both leaders also reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with China and prayed for the swift recovery of those injured.In a statement shared by his office, President Zardari “expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives”.