Hundreds rescued as search for earthquake survivors continues in Tibet

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Over 14,000 rescue workers have arrived in Tibet to continue the search for survivors following a powerful earthquake that claimed at least 126 lives in a remote region of western China.

Chinese state media reports that more than 400 people have been rescued since the earthquake struck on Tuesday, about 50 miles from the base of Mount Everest, leaving thousands of homes destroyed.

Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing arrived on Wednesday to oversee the rescue operation, which has been hindered by subzero temperatures, dropping to -16°C overnight.

While earthquakes are common in this region, which lies along a major geological fault line, Tuesday’s earthquake was one of the deadliest in China in recent years.

The magnitude 7.1 quake, which occurred at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), was felt in Nepal and parts of India, which share borders with Tibet.

As internet access is restricted in Tibet, and travel is tightly controlled by Beijing, much of the information on the earthquake and its aftermath comes from Chinese state media.

The air force has been mobilized, and drones have been deployed to assist in the rescue efforts, as President Xi Jinping called for all-out measures to minimize casualties and relocate displaced residents.

State-owned People’s Daily reports that over 30,000 people have been relocated in the affected area. By Wednesday morning, electricity and mobile phone services had been restored in Tingri County, near the earthquake’s epicenter.

Officials estimate that more than 3,600 buildings collapsed, potentially leaving thousands without shelter.

Videos from China’s state broadcaster CCTV show extensive damage in Tibet’s holy city of Shigatse, with buildings reduced to rubble and rescue workers distributing blankets to residents.

Sangji Dangzhi, whose supermarket was damaged in the quake, told AFP by phone that the destruction of homes was widespread.

“Here the houses are made from dirt so when the earthquake came… lots of houses collapsed,” the 34-year-old said, adding that ambulances had been taking people to hospital throughout the day.

A hotel resident in Shigatse told Chinese media outlet Fengmian News he had been jolted awake by a wave of shaking. He said he had grabbed his socks and rushed out on to the street, where he saw helicopters circling above.

“It felt like even the bed was being lifted,” he said, adding that he immediately knew it was an earthquake because Tibet recently experienced multiple smaller quakes.

There were more than 40 aftershocks in the first few hours following the quake.

Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, told CCTV that while another earthquake of around magnitude 5 might still occur, “the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low”.

Sitting at the foot of Mount Everest, which separates Nepal and China, Tingri county is a popular base for climbers preparing to ascend the world’s tallest peak.

Everest sightseeing tours in the area have been cancelled, a tourism staff member told local media, adding that the area had been closed. There were three visitors who had all been moved to an outdoor area for safety, they said.

Shigatse region, home to 800,000 people, is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Tibetan Gedhun Choekyi Niyima who was identified as the reincarnated Panchen Lama was disappeared by China in 1995 when he was six years old. China then chose its own Panchen Lama.

“I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured,” the current Dalai Lama said in a statement.

He fled Tibet to India in 1959 after China annexed the region and has since been seen as an alternative source of leadership for Tibetans who oppose Beijing’s control, which extends to local media and internet access.

While strong tremors were felt in Nepal, an official from the National Emergency Operations Centre told BBC Newsday that there was no significant damage or casualties, only “minor damages and cracks in houses.”

The tremors on Tuesday morning, which prompted many residents of Kathmandu to flee their homes, brought back memories of the devastating 2015 earthquake. The magnitude 7.8 quake, which struck near Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured over 20,000.

“In 2015, when the earthquake hit, I could not even move,” Manju Neupane, a shop owner in Kathmandu, told BBC Nepali. “Today the situation was not scary like that. But, I am scared that another major earthquake may hit us and we will be trapped between tall buildings.”