LHASA - 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.
READ MORE: Quake in China's Xizang kills 126, all-out rescue efforts underway
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.
Swift response
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.
All-out rescue efforts urged
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.
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.
Rescuers
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.
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.
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.
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.
Water bodies intact
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.
Express passage at Guangzhou Airport
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.
Shanghai medical team
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.
407 people rescued
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.
Braving cold
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.
All-China Women's Federation
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 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.
Aftershocks
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.
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.
HKSAR chief executive
John Lee Ka-chiu, 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.
Satellites
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.
Infrastructure
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.
126 dead, 188 injured
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.
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.
Universities
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.
Red Cross
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.
Drone
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 pm Tuesday after the earthquake jolted Dingri county in the city of Shigatse.
Victims relocated
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.
READ MORE: Mount Qomolangma Scenic Area closed following deadly earthquake
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.
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.
