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President Xi Jinping has urged all-out rescue efforts to minimize casualties following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the Xizang autonomous region on Jan 7
The strong earthquake left 126 people dead and 188 others injured
All tents and makeshift houses inhabited by residents affected by the earthquake were provided with a stable power supply by Saturday afternoon
A memorial service was held on Monday to mourn the victims of the earthquake
LHASA -- A memorial service was held on Monday to mourn the victims of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region last week.
At 9:30 am, hundreds of people, including government officials, rescue workers and local residents, attended the event in Chamco township, the worst-hit area. They took off their hats and stood in silence for three minutes in memory of the dead.
On Jan 7, the strong earthquake hit Dingri, home to the northern base camp of the world's highest peak, Mount Qomolangma, claiming 126 lives.
LHASA -- On Sunday morning, at a newly-built resettlement site in the earthquake-struck county of Dinggye, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, children were doing their homework inside warm makeshift houses, undisturbed by occasional jolts of aftershocks and the chilling winds howling through the Himalayas.
In neighboring Dingri county, Tsering Pingtso, Party chief of Gurum village, told Xinhua that he no longer worries about his villagers, as all of 107 people in the quake-hit village had moved from tents to makeshift houses by Friday, three days after the earthquake.
On Jan 7, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Dingri, home to the northern base camp of the world's highest peak, Mount Qomolangma, leaving 126 people dead and hundreds injured.
"Now, four to five people share a board house, each with an area of 18 square meters and supplied with electricity, folding beds, tables and stoves. The villagers can now live comfortably during the winter cold," said the village official.
The quake zone, situated at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters above the sea level, is experiencing its coldest time of the year. Keeping quake victims warm is the top priority of the on-site quake-relief work.
After the conclusion of the search for victims, the focus of rescue efforts has shifted to relocation of affected villagers and post-disaster reconstruction, local authorities said.
Within days, 224 relocation sites have been set up in affected areas, accommodating 47,500 people, while 12,730 tents have been erected and 12,043 heating facilities have been installed.
Local authorities and rescue teams have been busy erecting more makeshift houses, allowing displaced residents to move from tents to more earthquake-resistant and warm housing.
The swift decisions made by China's top leadership to mobilize all resources to save lives and support post-disaster recovery are driving the effective relief efforts.
"Each household is allocated with two board houses, plus their previous tents," said Mima Tsering, chief of Gojag township.
People live in the makeshift houses, while the tents are for storing essential supplies and food, he said, adding there are stoves in the houses and people use cow dung and sheep dung they collected as fuel, which is the usual local practice.
Although fast-built, these makeshift houses have good sealing and thermal insulation performance. They also boast certain disaster-proof functions to protect people from earthquakes, fires, wind and rain.
By Saturday afternoon, all the resettlement sites in the epicenter area had been connected to stable power supply. Many settlements in the counties of Dingri and Dinggye have been covered by the telecom network, allowing villagers to watch Internet TV.
As Gurum village achieved full Wi-Fi coverage, children were excited and asked if they could watch a movie.
At the resettlement sites, Xinhua reporters saw the food supplied had changed. It used to be mainly emergency supplies of instant noodles and bread, but now people have rice, flour, cooking oil, beef, mutton and vegetables.
It is not easy to ensure hot meals on the high plateau. Tao Mingjun, Party chief of the Dinggye county, said they have done their best to supply food that caters to the habits of the local people, providing salt, tea, beef and mutton. They also provide cooking utensils suitable for plateau regions, which can overcome the problems of low air pressure and low boiling point of water.
According to the State Grid Xizang Electric Power Co Ltd, after connecting the resettlement sites to power facilities, they are laying power lines to public facilities such as medical sites.
After the earthquake, the central authorities quickly allocated 42,000 pieces of relief materials such as tents, quilts and folding beds. Local authorities dispatched 73,000 pieces of electric blankets, heating stoves, quilts, clothes and blankets, among others. Enterprises, foundations, and philanthropists also provided 350,000 pieces of relief materials to the quake zone.
"No one shall be left out to suffer from hunger and cold here. We'll work meticulously to make sure of that," said Tashi Dondrup, head of Dingri county.
LHASA -- At a resettlement site on Sunday, Tan Xiren handed out paintbrushes, drawing papers and candies to disaster-affected children from the earthquake-struck Qulho township of Dingri county, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.
Nyingma Dzong, a 6-year-old girl, was one of the over 80 children at the site. She drew a small tent, a red heart, a sun and herself. Then, she tentatively wrote "Come on Xizang" and "Come on Dingri" in Chinese on the paper.
Tan, one of the member of emergency mental health relief team from the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, came to the county at night of Jan. 9 and has been providing mental services for rescue workers and children.
"We found out that disaster-affected people are in urgent need of help," she said.
On Jan 7, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Dingri, home to the northern base camp of the world's highest peak, Mount Qomolangma, claiming the lives of 126 people. As of 9 am on Jan 9, 337 injured had been treated, with 246 of them being discharged from the hospital.
"Many children draw the sun, flowers, and other positive and beautiful things. Through observing their drawings, we can learn their psychological condition and provide them with targeted counseling," said Tan.
Qangga village of Chamco township in Dingri was one of the villages severely affected by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, where 6 people died and most of the houses were severely damaged or collapsed.
Kalsang Dondrup, age 13, and his family moved to a resettlement site the day after the quake. They have since acquired plenty of food, warm bedding and clothing.
"However, people would stay in the tents, and would not like to speak and play together," he said.
Noticing that villagers, particularly children, were avoiding interaction, Song Yao, head of the psychological relief team from the Sichuan Branch of the Red Cross Society of China, and his team organized activities such as singing, painting and games to alleviate the psychological impact of the disaster on children.
One of the activities involved asking people to write down their dreams. Kalsang Dondrup did not hesitate and wrote that he would like to become a football player. Song decided to organize a football match after learning many children's dreams were related to the sport.
At the match at the resettlement site with an altitude of 4,200 meters, Kalsang Dondrup received a football passed by his peer and kicked it through the makeshift "goal," which was space between two stones.
"This has been the happiest day since the earthquake," said the boy.
Later, more children came out of the tents to join the game and adults lingered in the area to watch the match.
"Collective sports and activities are important methods to help children relieve stress after the earthquake," said Song. He added that scientific psychological intervention can help relieve children's negative emotions, and they will apply the experience to other resettlement sites over the next two weeks.
All tents and makeshift houses inhabited by residents affected by the earthquake in Dingri county, Xizang autonomous region, were provided with a stable power supply by Saturday afternoon, according to the State Grid Xizang Electric Power Co.
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Southwest China's Xizang on Tuesday morning, killing 126 people and injuring 337 others. The quake's epicenter was located in Tsogo township of Dingri county in the city of Shigatse.
In the wake of the earthquake, State Grid Xizang swiftly mobilized its resources to ensure affected areas received an uninterrupted supply of electricity, undertaking urgent repair and restoration tasks, a company representative said.
The company deployed over 900 emergency rescue personnel and 112 sets of power maintenance equipment, with a total power generation capacity exceeding 20,000 kilowatts, to the earthquake-hit areas.
Approximately 75,000 pieces of emergency rescue equipment were also urgently allocated to the sites in greatest need.
Venturing into the heart of the disaster zone, the State Grid Lhokha Power Supply Co, the Lhokha city branch of the State Grid, embarked on a mission to restore power to villages such as Changkar and Thongley, part of Dramso township in Dingri.
Despite harsh conditions and logistical challenges, the dedicated team worked tirelessly to restore electricity to the resettlement sites and provide essential relief to affected residents.
Wang Tianyou, an employee of the State Grid Lhokha Power Supply Co, said he and his colleagues are proud to have contributed to the rescue and recovery efforts for disaster-stricken communities.
"Despite the harsh conditions, including high altitudes, cold temperatures and relentless sandstorms, our commitment to restoring power and providing essential services remains unwavering," he said.
"The earthquake-stricken area is at a high altitude, and it is very cold. In the afternoon, a sandstorm struck the villages, making it difficult to open one's eyes due to the strong winds and dust," Wang said. He added that many of his colleagues have experienced hypoxia, headaches and difficulty breathing.
In recent days, Wang and his team started work at around 8:30 am and continued until midnight. They stayed in tents at night, where tremors made normal sleep nearly impossible.
"Whenever we make small donations, such as giving the children toys or snacks, they are very moved. Sometimes, we all burst into tears together," Wang said.
The State Grid's efforts have not only illuminated the lives of those in need, but also brought a sense of normalcy and hope to a community grappling with the aftermath of a natural disaster.
The resettlement sites in Thongley of Dramso were reconnected to the State Grid's power supply by Thursday afternoon.
Tashi, a 36-year-old villager, said he is able to charge his mobile phone and access the internet thanks to the restored electricity.
"In the first three days after the devastating quake, we experienced the inconvenience of electricity shortages. It was difficult at night because we couldn't see anything. Going to the toilet was hard, as one could easily fall," Tashi said. "The electric heaters in the tents are working now. It's very warm.
"What makes me happiest is that my family is safe. Our nation and society care so much about us and have provided a lot of help. Now, we lack nothing," he said. "I also believe that the government will help us rebuild our houses and support us as we return to our lives before the disaster."
The earthquake was the most severe in the area in the past five years. About 47,500 people are living at 224 resettlement sites after more than 3,600 houses collapsed, local officials said.
Channels for transporting relief materials free of charge to earthquake affected areas in Xizang autonomous region and Qinghai province have been launched by China Eastern Airlines immediately starting Jan 9, the Shanghai-based carrier said.
All the emergency relief materials to areas hit by recent earthquakes in Xizang and Qinghai would be transported via the green transportation channels created by China Eastern free of charge. China Eastern vowed to spare no efforts to provide support in transporting relief materials rapidly and safely to the earthquake devastated areas. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Dingri county in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday, and a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Maduo county in the Golog Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Northwest China's Qinghai province on Wednesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
All the direct flights to Xizang and Qinghai operated by China Eastern would take part in the free transportation campaign as long as official documents of donation agreements and proof of receipts are provided. The validity period of this free transportation will be determined in accordance with the rescue and reconstruction situation of the earthquake affected areas, and for those with emergency transportation requirements, the 24/7 hotline service can be reached at 021-20669334.
Ma Xiaohu's hand-pulled noodle — or lamian— restaurant in Lhaze county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, shook violently after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Dingri county, the epicenter, about 88 kilometers away on Tuesday morning.
Ma packed his stoves, pots, flour, seasoning, thin noodles and bottled water and drove to the epicenter, believing that people in the earthquake-stricken area may need someone to cook for them.
Ma's hometown, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture in Gansu province, experienced a 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Dec 18, 2023. "We received kindness from all over the country that time, so I also want to offer help to people facing the same difficulty," he said.
Ma and his colleagues arrived at 5 pm on Tuesday in Tsogo township, Dingri. "We wanted to cook lamian, but it's too cold to pull the flour dough, so we boiled water and made instant noodles," he said.
The night temperatures were about minus 18 C. Without shelter, they were very cold, but "seeing the victims enjoy hot soup, I felt happy", he said, adding that the town government provided them a tent on Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Ma said they cooked dumplings for about 8,000 people. On the third and fourth days, they offered thin noodles. The stall was open 24 hours a day, free of charge for villagers, rescue teams and whoever was in need.
Though there were frequent aftershocks, Ma said he didn't have time to worry about them, as a lot of hungry people waited in long lines for food. "Although we are of different ethnic groups and religions, we are all Chinese. We need to unite to get through this," he said.
Ma also received donations such as cotton quilts from a charity organization, but he gave them to children greatly in need of them. He said they would stay there for another four to five days until the victims can cook hot meals by themselves.
The town suffered 14 fatalities during the disaster, with 845 homes collapsing. By Friday, 4,472 people lived in tents at 38 relocation sites, data from local authorities showed.
Next to the tents, some households set fires to cook using stoves, cow dung and vegetables sent by the government.
The earthquake, the most severe in the area in the past five years, claimed 126 lives and injured 337 as of Thursday. About 47,500 people are living at 224 resettlement sites after more than 3,600 houses collapsed, local officials said.
The priority was to improve living conditions in the temporary shelters so that residents could "live a safe and warm winter", Hao Tao, deputy director of the Xizang Emergency Management Department, said at a news conference on Thursday.
At the resettlement camps, residents who lost their homes moved into tents, with heating equipment, winter clothing, hot meals, water, power and network signals offered.
Medics, volunteers, social workers and people from different industries came to the disaster-stricken area to help out those affected.
Nyikyi arrived at Dingri at 10 pm on Wednesday. Upon arrival, she distributed 40 cotton quilts to patients and their families at the county hospital. The following morning, she visited all three townships affected most, donating necessities door to door. She heard requests from the victims, and bought them goods such as kitchenware, bowls, kettles and cotton trousers.
"Their houses collapsed and many necessities were buried, so I bought things they need," she said.
Local doctors in the Xizang autonomous region are collaborating with colleagues sent from other areas around China to take care of patients following the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Dingri county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, on Tuesday morning.
As of 9 am on Thursday, 246 patients have been discharged, with another 91 receiving treatment, according to a news conference held on Thursday afternoon.
Among those in hospital, 19 are in critical condition. Multidisciplinary consultations are being conducted to tailor individualized treatment plans, said Kelsang Yudron, director of the Xizang Health Commission, at the conference.
"Treatment is given rapidly and orderly based on their conditions. Mild cases are treated at the county's hospital, severe cases at a hospital in Shigatse, and critical cases are transferred to regional-level medical institutions," she said.
Forty-five doctors in orthopedics, neurosurgery trauma and other fields were dispatched from areas such as Beijing and Sichuan to collaborate with local medical staff in providing treatment.
Mobile hospitals were set up in the disaster areas. The goal is to ensure that each resettlement site has at least one medical support team with prominent signage, medical staff, emergency medications and regular medical rounds, she said.
"In the next step, we will take preventive measures against secondary illnesses in the high-altitude and oxygen-deficient environment, dispatching mental health teams for psychological counseling and comfort, paying more attention to pregnant women, children and the elderly, and providing targeted medical services," she added.
On Tuesday night, a pregnant woman from Tsa village of the county's Dramso township was transferred to Shigatse People's Hospital, where she gave birth at 7:40 am on Wednesday, marking the first after-quake newborn from the earthquake-stricken area.
BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Commerce said Thursday that commerce departments are making all-out efforts to ensure the supply of daily necessities for local residents after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Dingri county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday.
In a statement, the ministry said it has asked key suppliers to increase supply efforts. So far, 743,000 tonnes of daily necessities such as grain, cooking oil, meat and vegetables have been dispatched. An additional 2,000 tonnes of frozen pork, 1,600 tonnes of frozen beef and mutton, and 2,250 tonnes of compressed tea are ready for transport.
Local commerce departments are being guided by the ministry to send emergency supplies of food and goods to help keep people warm. Local catering enterprises are being mobilized to provide hot meals for the affected residents and rescue workers in resettlement sites.
"At present, the stock of daily necessities for the affected region is sufficient and the market supply is stable," the statement said.
His face covered by dust and sweat, his fingernails bloodied and dirty, police officer Dondrub Tsering dug through the debris of fallen buildings with his bare hands to hunt for survivors after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Dingri county in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday morning.
The police officer and his colleagues arrived at one of the worst hit villages within half an hour of the quake. By sunset, they had dug out 17 survivors. By 10 am the next morning, 407 people had been rescued from the area, local authorities said.
Located at an altitude of 4,500 meters, Dingri hosts the base camp of Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak, also known as Mount Everest in the West. Home to over 60,000 residents, it is one of the most populous border counties in Xizang.
Hong Li, head of the Xizang Emergency Management Department, said the earthquake, the severest in five years, had killed 126 people, injured 337 and felled 3,609 houses.
As many as 1,211 aftershocks were recorded, with the strongest one of 4.4 magnitude occurring approximately 18 kilometers from Lhasa block in the southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which was the epicenter of the quake.
According to Hong Li, the quake hit a high altitude and low temperature area that was economically backward with poor transportation and telecommunication links and power supply.
With temperatures dropping considerably at night, a total of 428,000 urgently needed items such as quilts, blankets, coats, stoves and instant noodles had been shipped to the disaster area, he said.
Shock and fear
When the earthquake struck, Guru Putri was in her home in a village near the epicenter. Her house fell like a pack of cards, but she and her family were lucky to rush out in time.
Some of her neighbors were not so fortunate. And it is that thought of how close she came to death that still frightens her, she told the Southern Weekly.
She said rescuers arrived at the village on Tuesday afternoon and sent the injured to hospital. They also retrieved the body of one of the villagers.
Guru Putri and her family were transferred to the village committee premises, where there is food and water. The wound on her back was attended to and dressed.
Wangyal, 37, said her 76-year-old aunt who lived in a village near the epicenter was killed as she was unable to escape from the second floor of her home on time. Her younger relatives, luckily, managed to cheat death.
The temblor came as a shock to even those who are familiar with the area.
Xi Zhenhua works at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Mount Qomolangma atmosphere and environment observation station. Having lived in the area for 11 years, Xi is used to earthquakes.
Speaking to Shanghai-based The-Paper.cn, Xi said that he felt a small jolt at 8:12 am on Tuesday and received an alert for a 4.0-magnitude earthquake on his cellphone. He and two of his colleagues chose to ignore the warning and went back to sleep.
At 9:05 am, their living quarters was rocked violently and a phone alert stated the quake magnitude was 6.7. With no time to even put on warm clothes, Xi and his colleagues rushed out of the house covered in their quilts.
Thankfully, winter is not peak season for travel to the Mount Qomolangma base camp. As accommodation services in the scenic area shut in October, only about 500 daily visitors make it to the base camp during this season.
A staffer from the scenic area told The-Paper.cn that there were only a few tourists at the camp when the earthquake struck, forcing the visitors to take shelter in their vehicles.
The scenic area was closed temporarily at 10 am on Tuesday.
Local authorities said all 484 tourists in Dingri county, including 13 foreigners, had been transferred to safe places.
Helping hands
According to the Xizang Emergency Management Department, more than 15,000 emergency response personnel are participating in rescue and disaster relief work.
A total of 581 medical workers and 107 ambulances have been sent to treat the injured. As many as 61,500 people affected by the earthquake have been transferred to the 187 settlement centers that have been set up.
Migmar Tsering and four of his colleagues from Shigatse forest fire and rescue station were among the first batch of professional rescuers to arrive at the epicenter by Tuesday noon.
They used their hands to remove fallen rocks and tiles to rescue a woman in her 40s who was trapped under debris. She was found with multiple fractures, and they transported her to safety on a wooden stretcher before she was sent to a county hospital for treatment.
Wang Zhiping, head of the Shigatse forest fire and rescue station, said his team arrived at a village in Dingri county at 1:40 pm on Tuesday. Most of the houses in the area were severely damaged, he told China Youth Daily.
The rescuers shifted more than 300 villagers to safer places. However, the rescued villagers were extremely concerned about their livestock, especially yaks, which are considered valuable assets. So the next task was to rescue the trapped animals. By Tuesday afternoon, over a dozen yaks had been saved.
Zheng Long from the Xizang forest fire and rescue station said they had sent 300 firefighters to three townships near the epicenter. He arrived at a local village at 6:20 pm on Tuesday to find around 85 percent of the village's 76 houses had collapsed.
"One of the elderly women was in great distress because all her four yaks were buried under her collapsed house," he said. "Luckily, we could recover the yaks and other necessities."
Wang Tianyou, who works at the State Grid Lhokha Power Supply Co, said he and his colleagues arrived at a village near the epicenter of the earthquake at 2:00 am on Wednesday.
They immediately started work on reinstating power supply in the village. In two hours, light bulbs were on in 21 tents, he said. More than 300 tents had been illuminated by Thursday afternoon.
An Zhengfa, an official at Thongley village, said that when the quake struck, he could not stand straight as his house was shaking so badly.
When the tremors stopped, he and his colleagues ran toward the village to check on fellow villagers. "Many houses had collapsed and there was dust everywhere, and I realized that something terrible had happened," he said.
After reporting the situation to township officials, he and his colleagues organized other villagers to carry out rescue efforts.
They managed to pull out a villager buried in the debris in an hour, but sadly he did not survive.
The first batch of 15 professional rescuers arrived at the village by 11:00 am. By 1:00 am, three trapped under the debris had been found dead.
Relief equipment and materials arrived on Tuesday afternoon. The rescuers set up tents so that villagers had shelter for the night. The next day, the rescuers began to pull out buried livestock.
Expressing gratitude
Phurbu Tsering headed for Thongley village from Lhasa as soon as he learned that the earthquake had struck his hometown.
"I was extremely worried as I did not know how bad it could be," he said.
He arrived at the village at around 6 pm on Tuesday. Even though his family home had collapsed, those in the house were safe.
Rescuers helped them put up tents and brought them food, clothes and quilts.
"I was deeply moved by how quickly the rescuers came to our help," he said.
Lhagpa, 65, who lived in badly hit Dramso village, said her two-story house collapsed and three of her cows were injured.
The good news was that all her seven family members were safe.
"Government officials, rescue teams and medical workers came to our side at the earliest. They transferred us to a safe place and went on searching for people and livestock one household at a time," she said. "I was so deeply moved."
The young rescuers, many of whom are Party members, are fighting on the frontline tirelessly, and they are the true heroes, she added.
Task ahead
Sun Shihong, a researcher at China Earthquake Networks Center, told Beijing News that a 6.8-magnitude earthquake is not the strongest quake recorded in Xizang autonomous region. There are frequent earthquakes in the area due to the compression from the Indian plate to the Eurasian plate, he said.
Hao Nan, head of Zhuoming Disaster Information Service, a civil disaster relief volunteer group, told China Newsweek the earthquake occurred at 9 am Beijing time, which is about 7 am in Xizang, when many people were still in bed. Moreover, since the epicenter is in a remote area, it took rescuers more time to get to the victims.
Xu Xiwei, a professor at China University of Geosciences Beijing, said Xizang autonomous region is located on a plateau where it is extremely cold with low oxygen levels. It is easy for people living in lower altitude areas to suffer from altitude sickness while participating in rescue efforts. So it was important to engage the local population in rescue efforts, he said.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presided over a meeting of the nation's top leadership on Thursday to study and arrange concrete steps for quake relief in the Xizang autonomous region.
The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee came after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Dingri county in Shigatse on Tuesday. The disaster has left 126 people dead and 337 injured. It also toppled more than 3,600 houses.
Shortly after the quake occurred, Xi made instructions on the disaster, ordering all-out rescue efforts to save lives and minimize casualties.
It was noted at the meeting that in the wake of the earthquake, rescue forces, including those from the China National Comprehensive Fire and Rescue Team, the People's Liberation Army, the armed police and centrally administered enterprises, have overcome the challenges of high altitude and lack of oxygen in the quake-hit region and raced against time to search for and rescue trapped people and minimize casualties, with the overall earthquake relief efforts proceeding smoothly.
It was emphasized at the meeting that the earthquake relief work is currently at a critical stage and there must be no slackening. More meticulous efforts must be made to win the tough battle of quake relief, according to the meeting.
While underlining the need to proceed with rescue and post-disaster relief work, the meeting's participants said that medical experts should be organized for consultations to spare no effort in treating the injured.
Efforts should also be made to ensure that the basic needs of the affected people are met, and makeshift shelters and houses are in place to enable disaster-hit people to be sheltered from the cold winter, they said.
They highlighted the need to accelerate post-disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts, with a focus on repairing infrastructure and restoring normal work and living conditions in the disaster-stricken areas as soon as possible.
The meeting's participants also underscored the importance of releasing authoritative information, enhancing the earthquake resistance of houses and infrastructure in key areas, and improving disaster response capabilities.
Local Party committees and governments are urged to earnestly shoulder their political responsibilities, while officials at all levels must stand at the front line of quake relief, and Party organizations and Party members at grassroots level should fully play their due roles, according to the meeting.
Since the quake occurred, foreign leaders and heads of international organizations have sent condolence messages to Xi, or expressed their sincere sympathy in other ways. They spoke highly of the swift and robust rescue efforts made by the Chinese government, and expressed their confidence that under the strong leadership of the CPC, the people in the disaster-stricken areas will surely overcome the calamity and rebuild their homes.
Work reports heard
On Thursday, Xi also presided over the annual meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on hearing work reports from the leading Party members groups of the State institutions — the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature; the State Council, China's Cabinet; the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body; the Supreme People's Court; and the Supreme People's Procuratorate — as well as a work report from the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee has heard reports annually on the work of these five leading Party members groups, and a work report of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.
This is an important institutional arrangement to uphold and strengthen the Party's overall leadership, and must be upheld in the long term, according to Thursday's meeting.
LHASA -- A total of 1,211 aftershocks had been detected as of 3 pm Thursday after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday, local authorities said.
The largest aftershock had a magnitude of 4.4, and occurred about 18 kilometers from the epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, according to the regional earthquake bureau. The bureau also noted that 33 of the aftershocks had a magnitude of over 3.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri county in the city of Shigatse at 9:05 am on Tuesday, leaving 126 people dead and 188 others injured. A total of 407 trapped individuals have been rescued.
The deadly 6.8 magnitude earthquake that jolted Dingri county of Shigatse in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday happened following a northward compression from the Indian Ocean plate and crustal movement, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The quake's epicenter is located in the Lhasa block in the southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the center stated. It happened because of extensional rupture and represented an energy release event within the Lhasa block, it said.
Since 1950, 21 earthquakes above magnitude 6 have happened in the Lhasa block, with a maximum magnitude of 6.9, it said.
It said it's possible that aftershocks will hit the epicenter of Tuesday's jolt and the surrounding areas, the center stated.
The quake occurred at 9:05 am on Tuesday. Its epicenter was in the county's Tsogo township, where approximately 6,900 people live within a 20-kilometer radius.
A total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured as of 10 am Wednesday, according to local authorities.
China had received messages of condolence in various forms from the leaders of 22 countries as of Wednesday morning regarding the deadly magnitude 6.8 earthquake that jolted Dingri county of Shigatse in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday.
The countries are Russia, Pakistan, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Maldives, Japan, Cuba, Venezuela, Serbia, Belarus, Spain, Italy, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Oman, Grenada, El Salvador and Uzbekistan.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday that China also received expressions of sympathy from the foreign ministries of countries including India, Brazil, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Bahrain and Iran.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Nurlan Yermekbayev and President of the Central American Parliament Carlos Hernandez also extended condolences.
"We express sincere appreciation for that," Guo said.
In the wake of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri county in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday, China has launched a comprehensive and rapid response to ensure the timely delivery of aid and the restoration of critical infrastructure.
The Ministry of Transport immediately activated emergency protocols to clear damaged roads and coordinate relief efforts, while Air China played a key role in providing airlift support to the region, ensuring that essential personnel and supplies reached the hardest-hit areas without delay.
By Wednesday morning, all seven affected national and provincial highways had been cleared, with transportation routes restored to facilitate emergency responses. Although rural roads experienced varying degrees of damage, some critical sections in the area have been cleared, enabling emergency vehicles to pass freely, the ministry said.
The ministry swiftly established a dedicated earthquake disaster relief team led by senior officials, focusing on coordinated efforts to clear transportation routes and facilitate relief work. Experts in fields such as bridges, roads, geology and pavements were dispatched to the affected areas to provide on-site guidance for road clearance and post-disaster reconstruction.
Emergency funds were allocated for road recovery efforts, and resources from neighboring provinces and central enterprises were mobilized to support the disaster response. The ministry stated it would continue to closely monitor post-earthquake transportation conditions, enhancing coordination and ensuring comprehensive logistical support.
Air rescue efforts have also been swift. Under the coordinated guidance of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, earthquake relief operations in the civil aviation sector are being carried out smoothly and methodically.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the civil aviation sector planned to operate 21 relief flights, carrying 298 people and 25.6 metric tons of supplies. On Tuesday alone, 11 flights were arranged to support the disaster relief effort: five commercial flights, two military flights, three general aviation flights and one emergency drone flight.
At 2:49 pm on Tuesday, about five and a half hours after the earthquake, Air China's CA4431 flight — the first relief flight after the earthquake — landed safely at Dingri Airport in Shigatse, delivering disaster relief personnel and supplies.
On Wednesday, 10 additional relief flights were expected to deliver 170 people to the affected areas, according to the administration.
The earthquake struck Dingri county in Shigatse, Xizang, at 9:05 am on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometers. As of 10 am on Wednesday, 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 injured.
Steam rising from pots simmering over fires and the cold breath of people huddled together in front of tents at -16 C gave the semblance of life returning to normal in Dingri on Wednesday, a day after the county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, was struck by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake.
Children waited in line for a meal of eggs outside the temporary shelters, while older people tried to put to rest the memories of the disaster, which reduced more than 3,600 houses to rubble, claimed 126 lives and injured many more.
At a relief camp in Guring village in Dramso township, 55-year-old Sangye basked in the sun, holding a prayer wheel and chanting scriptures.
"Natural disasters can't be avoided. Although our house collapsed, my family was brought to a warm tent last night, and we were able to sleep," she said, thanking relief and rescue workers for their untiring efforts to resettle people.
Looking at a new stove her family received as part of relief efforts on Wednesday, Sangye added, "Tonight, we will be even warmer," as she folded her hands in gratitude.
Unfortunately, it was an uneasy night on Tuesday for Penba Norbu, deputy head of Dramso township. He recalled how he felt the strong shaking of his dormitory and noticed walls cracking before he ran outside. The township officials formed groups to check the villages.
When he arrived at Tsa village, Penba Norbu saw a child whose head was bleeding, some people with broken legs and those trapped under the debris of collapsed houses.
Six out of about 464 people living in the village died, but the others were rescued. When a series of aftershocks rocked the area, he sent out a notice on WeChat, reminding villagers to take care and report damage.
Penba Norbu said he felt relieved after the medical and rescue teams arrived, and the villagers were moved to temporary shelters. "There are enough tents and daily necessities. We can get through this," he added.
At a news conference held in Shigatse on Wednesday, Hong Li, director of Xizang Emergency Management Department, said about 12,000 people participated in the rescue and relief efforts, including public security personnel, the armed police, forest firefighters and the military. Together, they rescued 407 trapped individuals, he said.
A total of 187 relocation sites have been established in Dingri and 46,500 people have been moved. The 484 tourists who were visiting the county left the place as of Wednesday noon.
The relief tents are equipped with folding beds, cotton blankets, heaters, generators, stoves and emergency lighting, while people staying there have been provided with coats and warm footwear, besides food and medicine, the official said.
"The area is at a high altitude and is bitterly cold. We need to guarantee basic living conditions for the affected people, keep them warm and help them rebuild their homes as soon as possible," he added.
Hong said that 391 medical workers had been sent to help with the relief work. Among those severely injured, most have head injuries. Others have fractures. The critically injured people have been transferred to Shigatse People's Hospital.
Communication networks and power supplies in the affected area have been restored, he said, adding that the current disaster-relief work will be focused on relocating survivors and completing post-disaster reconstruction.
Tan Xiangdong, deputy director of the Xizang Health Commission, said at the news conference in Shigatse that doctors from Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu in Sichuan province have arrived in the region to treat those in critical condition.
Special teams have also arrived to test water quality, disinfect the environment and promote health awareness to prevent an epidemic, he added.
Meng Hui, deputy director of the Xizang Earthquake Agency, said that as of Wednesday noon, 646 aftershocks were recorded, with the strongest being of magnitude 4.4.
He did not rule out the possibility of more quakes of magnitude 5 to 6 over the next few days.
The focus of disaster-relief work after the recent 6.8-magnitude earthquake at Dingri county of Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, has been shifted to relocating affected residents and conducting after-disaster reconstruction, said Hong Li, director of the Xizang Emergency Management Department, at a news conference held in Shigatse on Wednesday afternoon.
He said intensified work would also be conducted in treating the injured, recovering damaged facilities, monitoring aftershocks and preventing secondary disasters.
A total of 407 trapped individuals have been rescued. Around 46,500 people affected by the earthquake have been transferred to 187 resettlement sites. The 484 tourists at the county have all gone to the city as of Wednesday noon with no injuries, he said.
This earthquake was the biggest in the area over the recent five years. Besides, as the county is located in a high-altitude and severely cold mountainous region, it's hard to prevent coldness, he added.
Residents living at the relocation sites are provided with necessities such as cotton tents, folding beds, electric blankets and heaters, as well as food and medicine.
The rescue efforts in the disaster-hit areas have reached full capacity, advising that unauthorized private rescue groups not enter the affected zones.
Liu Boqian contributed to this story.
LHASA -- No geological disasters, such as avalanches, have been observed so far on Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday, scientists said.
Casualties and house collapses have been reported in Dingri, which is home to the northern base camp of Mount Qomolangma.
Mount Qomolangma was not affected by the earthquake, and no obvious icefalls, avalanches or geological changes were observed, according to Ma Weiqiang, director of Mount Qomolangma Atmosphere and Environment Comprehensive Observation and Research Station under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In the wake of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri county in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday, China launched a comprehensive and rapid response to ensure the timely delivery of aid and restore critical infrastructure.
The Ministry of Transport immediately activated emergency protocols to clear damaged roads and coordinate relief efforts, while Air China played a key role in providing airlift support to the region, ensuring essential personnel and supplies reached the hardest-hit areas without delay.
By Wednesday morning, all seven affected national and provincial highways had been cleared, with transportation routes restored to facilitate emergency response. Although rural roads experienced varying degrees of damage, some critical sections in the area have been cleared, enabling emergency vehicles to pass freely, the ministry said.
The ministry swiftly set up a dedicated earthquake disaster relief team led by senior officials, to focus on coordinating efforts to clear transportation routes and facilitate relief work. Experts in fields including bridges, roads, geology and pavements were sent to the affected areas to provide on-site guidance for road clearance and post-disaster reconstruction.
The ministry also allocated emergency funds for road recovery efforts and mobilized resources from neighboring provinces and central enterprises to support the disaster response.
The ministry said they will continue to closely monitor post-earthquake transportation conditions, enhancing coordination and ensuring comprehensive logistical support.
Air rescue and relief efforts have been equally swift. In line with guidance of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, earthquake relief operations in the civil aviation sector are being carried out smoothly and methodically.
On Tuesday, a total of 11 flights were arranged to support the disaster relief effort, including 5 commercial airliner flights, 2 military flights, 3 general aviation flights and 1 emergency drone flight, transporting 128 people. On Wednesday, it is anticipated that 10 relief flights will be conducted, with 170 people and 25.6 metric tons of supplies being delivered to affected areas, according to the administration.
At 2:49 pm on Tuesday, about five and a half hours after the earthquake, Air China's CA4431 flight, the first flight after the earthquake, landed safely at Dingri Airport in Shigatse, delivering disaster relief personnel and supplies.
On Wednesday, Air China dispatched a special disaster relief flight, CA049, from Lhasa to Dingri at 8:13 am. The flight carried 42 airport support staff for subsequent operations, ensuring full logistical support for ongoing rescue missions. The aircraft landed at 9:10 am.
Air China promptly activated its emergency response plan and established an aviation task force for earthquake relief, focusing on coordinating rescue flights, arranging backup flight crews and managing passenger changes and cancellations, according to the company.
The airline also coordinated with local authorities to ensure sufficient flight capacity to support relief operations in the earthquake zone. In addition to logistical support, the airline arranged for essential resources such as oxygen bottles and meal services for incoming flights.
The magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Dingri county of Shigatse in Xizang at 9:05 am on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometers. By 7 pm Tuesday, a total of 126 people had been confirmed dead and 188 were injured.
LHASA -- Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing has stressed all-out efforts to rescue and treat the injured after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted the Xizang autonomous region.
Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, underscored the importance of ensuring that the disaster-stricken people stay safe and warm this winter.
The strong earthquake struck Dingri county in the city of Shigatse Tuesday, leaving 126 dead and 188 others injured by midnight.
The vice-premier led a team to the quake site to guide the rescue and relief efforts. Upon his arrival, Zhang immediately headed to Changsuo township, the most severely affected area. He visited quake victims at the rescue sites, temporary shelters and hospitals. He also inspected ongoing rescue operations, repair efforts for damaged infrastructure, and the provision of medical treatment, relief supplies and living arrangements for local residents.
Zhang chaired a meeting on rescue work for the next stage, stressing all-out efforts to continue search and rescue, treat the injured and provide enough heating supplies for all affected residents as the quake-hit zone is located in high-altitude and frigid areas.
He also called for enhancing monitoring and early warning of aftershocks and thoroughly inspecting damaged buildings and potential geological hazards to prevent secondary injuries and fatalities.
Post-disaster reconstruction must be accelerated, the vice-premier said, to ensure that quake-hit residents can move into safe and warm homes as soon as possible.
The Shigatse detachment of the Xizang Armed Police Corps has been racing against time to set up cotton tents in areas affected by the earthquake in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, to ensure a warm winter for quake-affected people, CCTV News reported.
The quake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck Dingri county in Shigatse, at 9:05 am on Tuesday, with the death toll of 126 and 188 injuries as of 7 pm.
At a resettlement site in Changsuo township, Dingri county, members of the police officer corps, braving chilling cold, set up tents throughout the night. They worked in an organized and efficient manner: transporting tent materials, fixing the frames and laying moisture-proof pads.
As of 3 am on Wednesday, 580 tents had been set up for quake-affected residents, with sufficient relief supplies, including food, water, heaters, quilts, folding beds and emergency lighting equipment.
Each tent can accommodate around 10 people. Families with children and the elderly can be arranged to stay in the same tent whenever possible. The resettlement site provides quiet and convenient areas for them.
The local power authority is providing electricity to the quake-stricken area through an emergency supply system so that residents can use heating equipment in the tents.
No safety hazards have been identified in both natural and man-made water bodies near the epicenter of the deadly 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Dingri county of Shigatse in the Xizang autonomous region, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
Following the quake at 9:05 am on Tuesday, the ministry activated a Level Ⅳ emergency response, the lowest in a four-tier system in the country and promptly conducted screening operations to assess water bodies and water management facilities in the vicinity of the epicenter, a release issued by the ministry on Wednesday said.
While expert officials were deployed to comb through all areas where secondary disasters may happen, satellite remote sensing images were employed to analyze the potential adverse effects resulting from the seismic event, the ministry stated.
Within a 50-kilometer radius of the epicenter, there are five small reservoirs and five small hydropower stations.
No collapse has happened to dikes of these facilities and no barrier lake was found as well, it said. No structural failures have been reported in the embankments of these facilities, and there have been no instances of barrier lake formation.
The Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has arranged express passage to personnel and freight transport involved in the rescue and relief work following the earthquake in the Xizang autonomous region.
A magnitude-6.8 earthquake jolted Dingri county of Shigatse in Xizang on Tuesday.
For flights specifically designated for earthquake rescue and relief efforts, the airport management has decided to reduce or exempt certain costs or expenses associated with these flights.
A 13-member medical team from Shanghai took off early Wednesday morning with 7.45 tons of supplies, heading to the epicenter at Dingri county of Shigatse in the Xizang autonomous region to assist with quake rescue efforts following the deadly 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.
Departing from the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on a China Eastern Airlines' flight at 7:00 am, the team consists of 13 experts and medical workers from the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Huashan Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University. They are specialized in orthopedics, intensive care, anesthesiology and neurosurgery, and are set to treat injured persons upon arrival.
Shanghai has been providing paired-up assistance for Shigatse since 1995 and is making prompt responses in offering timely and efficient aid to the region after the earthquake.
Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines opened a special green channel on Tuesday night for the rescue team and disaster-relief supplies including cotton clothes, quilts, jackets and sleeping bags. Also, to ensure efficient transportation, the company swiftly changed the planned narrow-body aircraft to a wide-body aircraft with a larger capacity to operate the flight.
Apart from the rescue team, another batch of 36 medical cadres, previously sent to Xizang from Shanghai, will also gather at five counties in the devastated area for aid within two days, said Peng Yihao, deputy Party secretary and executive vice-mayor of Shigatse, on Tuesday evening.
The earthquake occurred in Dingri county at 9:05 am on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometers. It was reported to have claimed 126 lives and injured 188 people by 7:00 pm on the same day.
A total of 407 people have been rescued from debris after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake jolted Dingri county of Shigatse in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
The Xizang autonomous region emergency response headquarters said a total of 14,668 emergency response personnel are participating in rescue and disaster relief works.
A total of 581 medical workers and 107 ambulances have been sent to treat injured people. All injured people have received medical treatment while a seriously injured person has been sent to a hospital in Lhasa, the headquarters said.
The roads that have been damaged by the earthquake have been repaired and telecommunication and electricity in three townships near the earthquake epicenter have resumed, it said.
A total of 46,525 people affected by the earthquake have been transferred with 187 settlement centers established, it added.
The earthquake occurred at 9:05 am on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometers. As of 10 am on Wednesday, it has killed 126 people and injured 188 people.
LHASA -- Just half an hour after the 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, Dondrup Tsering got to work, combing through the debris as he searched for survivors.
"My colleagues and I used our hands to dig through ruined homes and pull out buried people," said Dondrup Tsering, a local police officer of Tibetan ethnic group. His face was marred by dust and sweat, and his fingernails were stuffed with dirt and blood when he talked to Xinhua in a quake-shattered village Gurum, one of the worst hit villages in the area.
The strong earthquake that struck around 9 am Tuesday has toppled thousands of rural houses. By Tuesday midnight, a total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured.
The epicenter of the earthquake is located in Tsogo township of Dingri county in the city of Shigatse. An all-out rescue operation has been ongoing in 27 quake-hit villages within a 20-km radius of the epicenter, where approximately 6,900 people reside.
Dondrup Tsering, from the Dingri county public security bureau, said villagers barely had time to put on their clothes as it was still early in the morning local time, with some rushing out of their rooms wrapped in quilts. Tragically, some were buried by the collapsed walls.
With an average altitude of 4,500 meters, Dingri county is home to the northern base camp of Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak. It is one of the most populous border counties in Xizang, which has a population of over 60,000.
Adding to the rescue difficulties, temperatures plummeted below minus 10 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night. However, more and more rescuers, including firefighters, police officers and soldiers, have arrived at the scene.
Armed with flashlights and aided with sniffer dogs, the rescuers worked non-stop over the night in the hope of saving as many people as they can within the first 72 hours of "golden period" after the disaster.
From morning to sunset, Dondrup Tsering and his team pulled 17 villagers out of the debris.
FIRST NIGHT AFTER EARTHQUAKE
As the search and rescue efforts went on, 170,000 urgently needed items such as quilts, blankets, cotton coats, stoves and instant noodles were shipped to the disaster area.
Meanwhile, thanks to the emergency repairs, power was restored at 10 am on Tuesday, just an hour after the quake in Gurum village. By around 5 pm, all residents had moved into makeshift tents.
In the two resettlement areas in Gurum village, over 30 tents were set up, with stoves lit inside to keep the evacuees warm through the night.
As temperatures dropped below zero at approximately 7:30 pm, the first batch of bedding arrived on-site, ready for distribution.
"The main challenge today is the low temperatures; however, the arrival of bedding has addressed this issue," said Sangye, a village official overseeing the resettlement sites. Each resident received at least two blankets and a cotton mattress.
Migmar, 57, shared a tent with another family. She also received bottled water and snacks to help her through the night.
Additional stoves were expected to be installed the next day to help residents prepare butter tea and tsampa, staples beloved by Tibetans. More quake-relief materials are on the way.
By midday Tuesday, over 60 soldiers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had arrived in Gurum village to assist with rescue efforts.
"We plunged ourselves into the rescue efforts as soon as we arrived," said military officer Kelsang. "When the people saw us, they shouted, 'The PLA has come!' Hearing this makes it all worthwhile, no matter how challenging or exhausting it is."
So far, they have rescued 12 injured people and 79 livestock. As night fell, they lit stoves and prepared meals for the residents.
By 8 pm, despite occasional aftershocks, the village's streetlights were illuminated, and the stoves kept the tents warm inside.
In the tents, many people lit butter lamps to pray for their loved ones and fellow villagers who lost their lives in the earthquake.
Outside the tents, soldiers and relief workers were pitching more tents and cooking porridge, eggs, and ginger soups for the settlers.
"When a new day dawns with the morning light, tomorrow is another day," said Kelsang.
The All-China Women's Federation and its affiliated foundations have raised funds, and gathered relief supplies for Dingri county in Shigatse of Xizang autonomous region, which was hit by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.
The federation's China Children and Teenagers' Fund and China Women's Development Foundation have so far collected funds and relief materials valuing about 13.75 million yuan ($1.88 million), among which an aiding fund of 700,000 yuan has been allocated for the region.
The federation has purchased over 4,800 bedquilts and 2,000 coats for people in the disaster-stricken area. Some other relief materials including 500 down jackets, emergency kits for females and children, and 10,000 cases of instant noodles have been sent to the earthquake-hit area, according to a release by the federation.
The federation said it will continue raising funds for females, children and families affected by the earthquake, and keep in close contact with its offices in Xizang to make sure the relief materials are safely transported to the disaster-stricken area.
The deadly 6.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted Dingri county of Shigatse in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday happened following a northward compression from the Indian Ocean plate and crustal movement, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The quake's epicenter was located in the Lhasa block in southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the center stated. It happened because of extensional rupture and represented an energy release event within the Lhasa block, it said.
Since 1950, a total of 21 earthquakes above magnitude 6 have occurred in the Lhasa block, with a maximum magnitude of 6.9, it said.
It's possible that aftershocks will hit the epicenter of Tuesday's jolt and the surrounding areas, the center stated.
The quake occurred at 9:05 am on Tuesday. Its epicenter was in the county's Tsogo township, where approximately 6,900 people live within a 20-kilometer radius.
A total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured as of 7 pm Tuesday, according to local authorities.
According to CENC, as of 8 am Wednesday, a total of 515 aftershocks have been recorded around Dingri county, including 488 aftershocks below magnitude 3.0 and 27 of magnitude 3.0 and above. The largest aftershock currently is magnitude 4.4, located approximately 18 kilometers from the epicenter.
HONG KONG -- John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), has pledged aid to disaster relief work after a deadly earthquake jolted Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday morning.
Lee mourned the deceased and expressed sympathies to the injured via social media.
He said that he had instructed local authorities to closely follow the development of the relief efforts, adding that the HKSAR government stands ready to provide aid through its disaster relief fund.
By 7 pm Tuesday, a total of 126 people had been confirmed dead and 188 others injured from the 6.8-magnitude quake, which also toppled thousands of rural houses on the northern slope of the Himalayas.
BEIJING -- The China Children and Teenagers' Fund and the China Women's Development Foundation, both of which are under the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), have raised 13.75 million yuan ($1.9 million) in funds and supplies for earthquake relief in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.
A total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured as of 7 pm Tuesday, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri county in Xizang on Tuesday morning.
Following the earthquake, the ACWF issued notifications and guidelines for its local branches to participate in relief work, and kicked off a fundraising project on Alipay, a major online-payment platform in China.
As part of the ACWF's efforts, relief supplies including over 4,800 quilts, 500 down jackets and 10,000 cases of instant noodles have been dispatched to the affected area.
President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts to save lives and minimize casualties following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake that jolted Dingri county of Shigatse in the Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday.
The earthquake occurred at 9:05 am on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometers. It was reported as of press time to have claimed 95 lives and injured 130 people.
In an instruction made on the disaster, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged utmost efforts to carry out search and rescue and provide medical treatment for the injured.
He underlined the need to prevent secondary disasters, properly resettle the affected people and handle the aftermath effectively.
It is essential to strengthen earthquake monitoring and early warning, promptly allocate disaster relief supplies and expedite the repair of damaged infrastructure, he said.
Xi also said that measures must be taken to ensure that the basic needs of residents are met and to guarantee a safe and warm winter for all.
On Tuesday, Premier Li Qiang also made instructions regarding the earthquake response, urging efforts to organize all-out rescue operations. Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing led a team to the quake site to guide the rescue and relief efforts.
The quake's epicenter was in Tsogo township. Within a 20-kilometer radius of the epicenter, about 6,900 people live in 27 villages, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Tseyang Lhamo, a resident of Yupe, a village in Dramso township of Dingri county, said that the houses of all but one of the village's 29 households had collapsed, and that all seven people in her own family were safe. The village was one of the three hit hardest by the quake.
"When the earthquake occurred, I was about to get up, and my cellphone received an earthquake warning, so I woke up my family and told them to run quickly," she told China Daily. "Soon our houses all collapsed.
"I felt dizzy and nauseous, and it was difficult to walk" when the quake hit, she said, but she managed to open the door of the sheep and cow pen, so the animals were not injured as the buildings collapsed.
Tseyang Lhamo and her family moved to an open place, where they awaited the arrival of disaster relief workers who were to set up tents and distribute necessities.
"We're emotionally stable, except for my mother, who keeps crying about the loss of property," she said.
She added that an elderly woman who had been trapped had been pulled from the debris by fellow villagers before rescue workers arrived, and that all the other villagers were fine.
Although the village was hit by a power outage, phone signals and networks were fine and transportation infrastructure was mostly intact, so vehicles were able to reach the area, although the ground had cracked a bit, according to Tseyang Lhamo.
Dingri county is along the route to Qomolangma, the world's highest mountain, which is known in the West as Mount Everest. The county is also the closest stopping point for tourists heading to the mountain.
The Mount Qomolangma Scenic Area has been closed pending further notice.
A staff member of the scenic area told China Daily that as of 2 pm on Tuesday, no houses there had collapsed and there were reports of some falling rocks.
"It's currently the tourism offseason, with few tourists," so the scenic area was "basically not affected", he said.
Wei Fulin, a receptionist at the Phuntsok Khangsang Qomolangma Base Camp Hotel, which is located in the scenic area, said that about 40 to 50 people who were staying at the hotel on Monday had all left on Tuesday morning.
Wei said the hotel is about 40 km from the base camp and was not seriously affected. "There were no collapses or casualties, just some wall cracks," he said.
With an average altitude of 4,500 meters and population of more than 60,000, the county is one of the most populous border counties in Xizang. It borders on Nepal to the south.
About 3,400 people from various departments including forest firefighters, armed police, public security and the military, along with more than 150 vehicles, had been sent to the front line to carry out search and rescue operations, according to a news conference about the earthquake that was held in Shigatse on Tuesday afternoon.
Additionally, about 340 medical workers have been sent to the earthquake-stricken area to treat injured or trapped individuals. Disaster relief supplies such as self-heating rice, bottled water, instant noodles, winter coats, winter shoes, blankets, beds and tents have been sent to the area.
Emergency rescue work was being intensified, including hazard identification in the earthquake-affected areas, the evacuation and resettlement of people, and the repair of damaged facilities.
The China Earthquake Administration sent a work team to the site to assist in local disaster relief efforts.
As of 1 pm on Tuesday, 16 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 or above had been recorded.
In the coming days, there is still a possibility of earthquake activity, according to experts from the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management allocated 100 million yuan ($13.7 million) of central natural disaster relief funds to support the Xizang autonomous region in carrying out earthquake disaster relief work.
Departments involved with infrastructure, signals, power supply, construction and other areas organized a comprehensive inspection of such things as railway tracks, bridges, tunnels, culverts, buildings and equipment.
Local authorities will strengthen earthquake monitoring and early warning efforts, and will spare no effort in searching for and rescuing any trapped individuals. They will also provide full support in treating the injured, carry out livelihood assistance, ensure that the basic living needs of those affected by the quake are met, and handle post-disaster tasks, according to the news conference held in Shigatse.
BEIJING -- China deployed several remote-sensing satellites to capture images of the quake-hit areas in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the region's Dingri county on Tuesday morning.
Eight satellites, including the Gaofen series satellites and a land ecosystem carbon monitoring satellite, were mobilized to observe the quake-hit areas, according to the China Center for Resources Satellite Data and Application.
By Tuesday afternoon, the satellites had taken images eight times. The center said it will arrange more satellites with higher resolution to take images to provide more accurate information on the post-earthquake situation.
The Land Satellite Remote Sensing Application Center under the Ministry of Natural Resources also mobilized at least three satellites to capture images of the quake-hit areas.
A total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured as of 7 pm Tuesday.
Mobile communication signals in the most severely affected townships of Tsogo, Drams, and Chulho of Dingri county have all been restored as of Tuesday night following the earthquake earlier in the day, said the regional service provider.
Because of the 6.8-magnitude tremor that hit Dingri county in the Xizang autonomous region at 9:05 am on Tuesday, 177 local base stations of telecoms company China Mobile went out of service, said the China Mobile Communications Group Xizang Co., Ltd. After 9 hours of effort, as of 6:08 pm, the company said all mobile communication signals have been restored.
Along with the return of telecommunication services, Dingri county has seen some affected roads return to use.
As of around 7:18 pm, in Dingri county, there were five sections of national and provincial highways affected by the earthquake, including areas that had suffered landslides, subsidence and roadbed collapse. Through emergency rescue efforts, single-lane traffic has been restored, reported China Transport News.
In addition, as of 7:30 pm, Xizang Airlines has operated four flights for rescue support, departing from various locations including Beijing, Chengdu of Sichuan province, and Xining of Qinghai province.
These flights have carried 72 rescue personnel to the disaster area as well as some supplies, to support earthquake relief efforts.
LHASA -- A total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured as of 7 pm Tuesday, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday morning.
Many domestic universities have opened up special subsidy channels for students from the earthquake-hit areas in Xizang autonomous region.
As of 3 pm on Tuesday, a total of 95 individuals have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region at 9:05 am on Tuesday, according to a news briefing conducted by the county's authorities on the ongoing rescue efforts.
In Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, Sun Yat-sen University said it is now paying close attention to the situation in the disaster-stricken areas and revealed the students in financial difficulties in the process of applying for the subsidies.
The university said it has been ready to provide assistance to the students in need and the students can consult and apply for the subsidies through the various channels, including email and phone hotlines, the university said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Student Financial Assistance Management Center of South China University of Technology, also located in Guangzhou, said if the students' families suffer temporary financial difficulties due to personal injury or property damage caused by earthquakes or other disasters, they can apply for family disaster relief subsidies in the online service hall of the university's Student and Teacher Service Center.
Similar measures targeted at students whose families would be affected by the earthquake have been adopted in many domestic universities such as the China Agricultural University and Beijing Normal University and Lanzhou University in Gansu province.
In Shanghai, major universities, including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Tongji University, and several universities and colleges in Sichuan have been ready to help and subsidize the students from the quake-hit areas in Xizang.
The Red Cross Society of China said on Tuesday that it has sent 4,600 units of disaster relief materials including cotton tents, quilts, insulated jackets and folding beds to areas affected by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.
The organization has also dispatched a working group and rescue workers there to carry out evaluations of disaster relief demands and aid rescue.
The quake hit Dingri county in Shigatse city at 9:05 am on Tuesday, with the death toll of 95 and 130 injuries as of 3pm.
The National Health Commission said on Tuesday that it has dispatched national-level emergency rescue medical specialists to areas affected by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Southwest China’s Xizang autonomous region.
These medical workers are sent from Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing and Sichuan University’s West China Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province and specialize in intensive care, orthopedics and emergency medicine.
The commission has also required national emergency rescue medical teams in neighboring provinces and regions of Xizang to be prepared and ready to provide necessary support.
The quake hit at 9:05am, with its epicenter in Dingri county in Shigatse city. As of 3pm, the toll has reached 95 with 130 injured.
The commission added that local health authorities have activated an emergency response and the People’s Hospital of Xizang autonomous region has sent eight medical rescue vehicles and 26 medical workers to affected areas.
Local hospitals have also set up expedited channels to receive the injured and hospital beds are sufficient. Rescuing survivors and treating injuries are being carried out, as well as public health work, it said.
Following the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which jolted Dingri county in Shigatse of Xizang autonomous region at 9:05 am on Tuesday, the affected communities are in need of emergency supplies, including tents and blankets, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.
Local authorities have mobilized various departments, including transportation, water resources, housing construction, townships and village officials, to conduct rescue operations.
The emergency management department has already coordinated with relevant agencies to organize rescue operations and simultaneously assess the extent of the disaster in the area, it said.
The official mentioned that the disaster area urgently requires tents, blankets, beds, and other emergency relief supplies.
Following a transport notice from the Ministry of Emergency Management, the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration has promptly organized the dispatch of 22,000 pieces of central disaster relief materials, including cotton goods, cotton coats, blankets, and folding beds, to the Xizang autonomous region to fully support local efforts in disaster relief and assistance for affected residents.
Furthermore, the earthquake has affected the areas of Tsogo township, Dramso township, and Chulho township in Dingri county, temporarily interrupting communication signals.
However, the signal in other urban areas of Dingri county remains unaffected. China Mobile has activated its emergency response plan, deploying emergency rescue teams with necessary supplies to the epicenter area to ensure communication support for earthquake relief efforts.
Following Tuesday's 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, aftershocks are possible in the surrounding areas in the coming days, according to experts.
Aftershocks at the epicenter of earthquakes and the surrounding areas are generally common. They gradually diminish in intensity and frequency over time, with fluctuations occurring during this process, experts were quoted as saying in a report by China Youth Daily on Tuesday afternoon.
The quake occurred at 9:05 am on Tuesday. Its epicenter was in the county's Tsogo township, where approximately 6,900 people live within a 20-kilometer radius.
As of 1 pm on Tuesday, there had been 16 aftershocks of magnitude 3 and above, including 13 with magnitudes between 3.0 and 3.9 and three with magnitudes of 4.0 and above, the report said.
After the earthquake, the China Earthquake Networks Center organized experts to conduct research.
According to experts, the earthquake was an energy release within a Lhasa block on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Since 1950, the Lhasa block has experienced 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher, with the largest being the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the region’s Mainling city in 2017, the report said.
LHASA -- Rescuers are braving freezing temperatures in combing through rubble in their search and rescue of survivors after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted a county in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday morning.
Fifty-three people have been confirmed dead, and 62 others injured as of Tuesday noon, after the quake jolted Dingri county in the city of Shigatse at 9:05 am Tuesday (Beijing Time).
The earthquake was distinctly felt in the county, Tashi Dondrup, the county head of Dingri told Xinhua.
The epicenter was located in Tsogo township of Dingri. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake is the strongest tremor recorded in the county during the past five years.
The quake hit at a depth of 10 km, according to a report issued by the China Earthquake Networks Center.
According to a weather forecast from China's National Meteorological Center, the temperature in Dingri county on Tuesday would range from minus 18 degrees Celsius to zero.
Official data shows that Dingri county has a population of over 60,000 people, and approximately 6,900 people live within a 20-km radius of the epicenter. A preliminary survey revealed that more than 1,000 houses had sustained varying degrees of damage. Some of these houses have been reduced to rubble.
ALL-OUT RESCUE UNDERWAY
The first batch of rescuers started rescue work as soon as they arrived in Dingri county, China's firefighting authorities said.
As of 11:40 am, over 1,500 local firefighters and rescue workers had been dispatched to the affected areas.
In view of the severity of the disaster, the China Earthquake Administration launched a level-II emergency response and sent a work team to the site to assist with local disaster relief efforts.
The office of the State Council earthquake relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management also initiated level-III emergency responses for earthquakes on Tuesday.
Some 22,000 disaster relief items, including cotton tents, cotton coats, quilts and folding beds, together with special relief materials for high-altitude and frigid areas, have been dispatched by central authorities to the quake-hit region.
Shortly after the earthquake, the Chinese military sent a drone to survey the epicenter area, the People's Liberation Army Western Theater Command said.
Meanwhile, the theater command's air force immediately activated a disaster relief emergency plan, organizing multiple transport aircraft, medical planes, helicopters and ground forces to stand by.
As of 3 pm on Tuesday, a total of 95 individuals have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri county in Shigatse, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region at 9:05 am on Tuesday, according to a news briefing conducted by the county's authorities on the ongoing rescue efforts.
During the news conference, all attendees stood up and observed a moment of silence to honor the victims.
The earthquake's epicenter was situated in the county's Tsogo township, where approximately 6,900 residents lived within a 20-km radius, encompassing approximately 27 villages.
LHASA -- A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri county in Shigatse, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, at 9:05 am Tuesday, with a depth of 10 km.
The epicenter was located in Tsogo township, with approximately 6,900 people living within a 20-km radius. This area includes about 27 villages.
Dingri county lies on the northern slope of the Himalayas, bordering Nepal to the south. With an average altitude of 4,500 meters, it is located near the northern base camp of Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak.
Nearly 90 percent of the county's land is part of the Qomolangma National Nature Reserve, which draws global attention due to its unique ecological environment.
Dingri is home to the Qomolangma Atmospheric and Environmental Research Station, operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Following the earthquake, the station's facilities are reported to be in good condition.
The county seat is located 243 km from the city of Shigatse. Spanning about 13,860 square km, Dingri county has 13 townships and 180 administrative villages, with a 181-km-long borderline.
With a population of over 60,000, the county is one of the most populous border counties in Xizang.
Dingri county has a plateau temperate semi-arid monsoon climate with an annual average temperature ranging from 2.8 to 3.9 degrees Celsius.
The weather forecast showed that the temperature at Dingri went from minus 18 degrees Celsius to zero on Tuesday.
Following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which jolted Dingri county in Shigatse of Xizang autonomous region at 09:05 am on Tuesday, the Mount Qomolangma (Everest) Scenic Area has been completely closed, Fengmian News reported.
According to public information, Dingri county is a must-pass route to Mount Qomolangma and the closest stopping point for mountain climbers and tourists heading to the world's tallest mountain.
There are two Qomolangma base camps in China, both located in Dingri county, one in the west slope base camp in the Tashigang township and the other in the east slope base camp in the area around Gamagou in Chudeng township.
A staff member at the Mount Qomolangma Scenic Area stated that tourist sightseeing vehicles which planned to visit the Mount Qomolangma area have ceased operations, and the scenic area has been completely closed, as reported by Fengmian News.
It will reopen based on the situation after the aftershocks. He mentioned that the county's power supply has not fully recovered, and specific casualty data is still being compiled, it reported.
Currently, there are three tourists in the Mount Qomolangma Scenic Area who have been safely relocated to open outdoor areas for emergency shelter.
According to a livestream by Xiaoxiang Morning News at around 11:30 am on Tuesday morning, the quake affected surrounding areas felt multiple aftershocks, and with a 4.4 magnitude quake has been strongest aftershock thus far, it said.
As CCTV reported, a strong earthquake was felt in the Kathmandu Valley on Tuesday morning as well.
Rescue and relief efforts are underway to assist those affected by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the Dingri county of Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday morning.
According to China Railway Qinghai-Xizang Group Co Ltd, following the earthquake, a train on the Lhasa-Shigatse section of the railway, the C885, has been halted.
According to the company, the epicenter of the earthquake is about 158 kilometers from the West Shigatse Railway Station of the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway.
After the earthquake, the company quickly initiated an emergency response, unified deployment, organized in an orderly manner, and immediately blocked the railway line from Karu to Shigatse, halting the C885 train at the Jieqiong Station.
At the same time, the departments of infrastructure, signal, power supply, construction and others organized a comprehensive inspection of the railway tracks, bridges, tunnels, culverts, signals, power supply, buildings and other equipment in the relevant sections.
Due to the earthquake, the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway suspended the operation of the C886 passenger train from Shigatse to Lhasa on Tuesday. To meet the travel needs of passengers, an additional C924 passenger train from Shigatse to Lhasa was put into operation not long after.
Meanwhile, the road maintenance department of the Dingri county immediately dispatched all personnel to inspect potential hazards after the earthquake, according to People's Daily.
The region's road system promptly conducted self-inspection actions, with no casualties reported in its nine maintenance sections under the Shigatse highway industry and emergency support center.
There were minor cracks in houses in the Gyalze and Lhaze sections. Currently, all maintenance sections under the Shigatse highway industry and emergency support center have dispatched all personnel to conduct post-earthquake inspections on roads and important structures.
President Xi Jinping has urged all-out rescue efforts to minimize casualties following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted Dingri county in Shigatse of Xizang autonomous region on Tuesday.
In an instruction made on the disaster, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged efforts to properly resettle the affected people and ensure they are safe and sheltered in the cold winter.
The earthquake took place at 09:05 am on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometers. It was reported to have claimed 53 lives by press time.
LHASA -- Fifty-three people have been confirmed dead, and 62 others injured as of Tuesday noon, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri county in the city of Shigatse in Xizang autonomous region at 9:05 am Tuesday (Beijing Time).
BEIJING -- The Chinese military has sent a drone to survey the epicenter after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Shigatse in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region at 9:05 am Tuesday (Beijing Time), according to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command.
It said the theater command's air force immediately activated a disaster relief emergency plan, adding that a team of transport and medical planes, helicopters and ground forces is on standby to assist with disaster relief.
The Western Theater Command has dispatched staff to the affected area to coordinate rescue efforts.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the People's Armed Police Force Xizang Contingent had deployed over 400 officers and soldiers to the earthquake-stricken area for rescue operations.
Additionally, approximately 2,000 officers and soldiers from the PLA and armed police stationed in Xizang are on standby to provide reinforcements.
A total of 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured as of 3 p.m. Tuesday after the earthquake jolted Dingri county in the city of Shigatse.
Update:
Xi urges all-out rescue efforts in quake hit Xizang
53 dead, 62 injured in Xizang 6.8-magnitude quake
Chinese military sends drone to aid quake rescue in Xizang
Xizang experiences largest quake in 5 years
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri county in Shigatse of Xizang autonomous region at 09:05 am on Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
The epicenter was monitored at 28.5 degrees north latitude and 87.45 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, said a report issued by the CENC.
According to the center's rapid report catalog, within 200 km of the epicenter, there have been a total of 29 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or above in the past five years, with the current earthquake being the largest.
There are seven villages located within a 5 km radius around the epicenter, it said.
The epicenter is 34 km from Dinggye county, 36 km from Dingri county, 164 km from Shigatse city and 379 km from the regional capital Lhasa.
House collapses were reported in the affected areas including Dramso, Chulho and Tsogo, and communication and electricity in some areas have been cut off. The region's fire and rescue has launched emergency response, mobilizing 10 rescue teams with 337 personnel, 75 vehicles and four search-and-rescue dogs, CCTV reported.
Tashi Dundrub, head of Dingri county, told Xinhua that local authorities have deployed resources from transportation, water conservation and village administration departments to aid rescue efforts. Evacuations have also been organized to protect residents from potential aftershocks, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Liu Boqian contributed to this story.
