Thousands of rescuers brave the cold and altitude on Wednesday in China to find survivors after a devastating earthquake which killed at least 126 people and caused the collapse of thousands of buildings in Tibet.
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Videos released by Chinese state television CCTV show rescuers extracting injured people from rubble buildings that collapsed. More than 12,000 rescuers, including firefighters, soldiers, police and professional rescuers have been deployed, according to the Xinhua news agency. Authorities have sent emergency aid, including cotton tents, quilts and other equipment to withstand the harsh weather conditions, she said.
At least 126 people were killed and 188 others injured following the earthquake on Tuesday morning in the rural township of Tingri, in Tibet (southwest China), not far from the Nepalese border, according to CCTV. Headquarters of the epicenter, Tingri is located in an undeveloped area in the high mountains, and has around 62,000 inhabitants. It is located not far from the Chinese side of Everest.
Stone and brick houses
Some 3,600 buildings have collapsed and more than 30,000 residents have been relocated, said the official Xinhua news agency, according to which searches are continuing to find the trapped victims. “ Rescuers are also racing against time to set up tents for those affected, as temperatures have yet to drop in the area. “, she emphasized. The temperature there is currently around -11 degrees Celsius, according to the national weather agency.
Also readTibet: powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake kills around 100 people
The damage is notable in the commune of Lhatsé, according to a witness interviewed by AFP. “ Some of the older houses have collapsed, and many of the brick buildings have large cracks said Meng Lingkang, a 23-year-old tourist. Many of the houses that collapsed appear to have been built using traditional materials such as stone, mud bricks and wooden beams. The magnitude of the earthquake was 6.8, according to China’s National Earthquake Agency (CENC). The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude of 7.1.
Help proposals
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for “ make every effort to carry out search and rescue operations and treat the injured ”, according to CCTV. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: deeply saddened » by human losses. “ The United Nations is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide support if necessary “, he said in a statement communicated by his spokesperson.
For his part, the Dalai Lama, the main figure of Tibetan Buddhism, who lives in exile, also said: deeply saddened » by the catastrophe. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to Xi Jinping, saying that Russia “ share the pain » of the Chinese and presenting its “ sincere condolences “. France, for its part, proposed “ its assistance to help the affected Himalayan populations », by a message from President Emmanuel Macron on X.
While earthquakes are common in the region, Tuesday’s was the most powerful recorded within a 200-kilometer radius in the last five years, the CENC said. In Nepal, the earthquake, which was particularly felt in the capital Kathmandu, struck areas around Namche and Lobuche, very close to Everest base camp. But no deaths have been reported so far.