Powerful earthquake hits Tibet killing 16 people, reports say

Several survivors of the earthquake have told local media about their harrowing escape.

Nagqu resident Yixi Cuomu told Tibet Daily that she was asleep in her bed when her house started shaking violently. Realising it was an earthquake, she headed outside barefoot, her "legs trembling uncontrollably" as she descended the staircase in her home.

Another eyewitness said the shaking was so violent "that in that moment I felt as if several hundred yaks were running past us".

Residents chose to spend the night outdoors in subzero temperatures, seeking shelter in tents or their cars, as they feared aftershocks could trap them in their homes, according to the news outlet.