Xi orders all-out rescue efforts after Xizang earthquake

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts for the missing and prompt medical treatment for the injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck a county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Thursday night.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged in an important instruction every effort to minimize casualties.

The earthquake struck Drachen county in Nagchu city, Xizang, at 10:33 pm Thursday. The quake has left 16 people dead and 65 injured, according to local authorities.

Noting that the affected area is at a high altitude with low temperatures, Xi stressed the need to closely monitor seismic activity and weather conditions to prevent secondary disasters.

Efforts should be made to properly accommodate the affected residents, repair damaged infrastructure as quickly as possible, and safeguard people's lives and property, Xi said.

Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, called for solid disaster prevention and response efforts.

The Ministry of Emergency Management and authorities in Xizang have mobilized resources for rescue and relief operations.