BEIJING: China ordered an `all-out` rescue effort in Tibet on Friday after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed at least 16 people, injured 76 and flattened hundreds of homes, state media reported.

The quake struck at 1433 GMT at a shallow depth of about 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicentre was in a mountainous area of Maru township in Bagen County, about 190km east-northeast of Nagqu and 390km northeast of the regional capit al, Lhasa.

Local authorities said at a news conference on Friday that the injured count had risen to 76, while the death toll remained at 16.

CCTV earlier put the number of injured at 46, 11 of them seriously. Xinhua News Agency said more than 300 houses collapsed, while CCTV said 339 had collapsed or been damaged. A level-III earth-quake emergency response was activated.

President Xi Jinping said the tremor caused `significant casualties` and struck at a `high-altitude location` in cold weather.

Authorities must `go allouttocarryoutsearchand rescue operations and do their utmost to treat the injured so as to minimise casualties,` Xinhua quoted him as saying. Xi also called for aid for residents and rescue equipment to be sent promptly.

Footage on CCTV showed diners running out of restaurants and items falling off wobbling supermarket shelves as the tremor hit. Rescue workers with helmets and flashlights clambered through damaged buildings, some with collapsed roofs, and carried out an injured person.

The China Earthquake Networks Centre said 413 aftershocks had been recorded. More than 12,000 people have beenrelocated to safety, Xinhua reported. Bagen County mobilised more than 1,600 people for relief work, CCTVsaid.

Pakistan `saddened` Meanwhile, Pakistani leadership extended condolences and sympathies.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and injuries in Nagqu, which Chinese officials refer to as part of the Xizang Autonomous Region.

`On behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, I extend our heartfelt condolences to President Xi Jinping, and our Chinese brothers and sisters, especially the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones, and prayers for the swift recovery of the injured, PM Shehbaz wrote on X.

He said Pakistan stood in solidarity with China and was ready to extend `every possible assistance`.President Asif Ali Zardari, who is on a threeday visit to Germany, extended condolences to Xi and the bereaved families in a statement. He said Pakistan stood `firmly` with China and prayed for the injured`s swift recovery.-Agencies