China's Ministry of Natural Resources activated a Level III geological disaster emergency response for the Xizang autonomous region at 6 am on Friday, after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck the region on Thursday evening.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake hit Drachen county of Nagchu city in Xizang at 10:33 pm on Thursday, with a focal depth of 10 kilometers. So far, at the time of publication, it has resulted in 16 deaths and 54 injuries.

Under the third-highest level emergency response in the four-tier system, an expert working group has been dispatched by the ministry to the quake-hit area to assist with emergency technical support, secondary geological hazard screening, and on-site disposal.

The ministry required the Xizang natural resources department to carry out immediate patrols and investigations, strengthen monitoring and early warning, conduct joint risk assessments, handle disaster reports, and maintain 24-hour duty with timely information reporting.

The China Geological Survey and the ministry's technical guidance center for geological disasters were tasked with coordinating expert deployments and enhancing assessment and scheduling to support local disaster prevention efforts.