Focus shifts to Tibet earthquake survivors as search called off

Beijing: Authorities moved more than 45,000 people in earthquake-hit Tibet to shelters in a massive rescue operation near the foot of the Himalayas, as they wound down the search in a high-altitude environment where the odds of survival were always slim.

The epicentre of Tuesday's 6.8 magnitude quake, one of the Chinese region's strongest tremors in recent years, was in Tingri, a rural county with a population of about 60,000 people around 80 km (50 miles) north of Mount Everest.

The temblor shook buildings as far away as Nepal and parts of India, and destroyed more than 3,600 houses around Tingri, presenting a formidable task to rescuers in an area where the average elevation is more than 4,000 metres (13,000 feet).

Forty-eight hours after the quake, experts say those trapped under the rubble are likely to have succumbed to hypothermia, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit) at night.

An initial tally on Tuesday (January 7) night showed at least 126 people had been killed and 188 injured, according to Chinese state media. It remained unchanged as of Thursday.

Rescue operations have focused on 27 villages within a 20-km radius of Tingri, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. The area is home to 7,000 people.

Chinese officials on Wednesday ended the search for survivors, saying the focus was shifting to relocating the displaced and treating the injured after pulling 407 people from the rubble.

Authorities have yet to say how many people remain missing.

The State Council Information Office, which handles queries from the media on behalf of the central government, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Foreign journalists need official permission to enter Tibet, which has been under Chinese rule since a failed uprising in 1959.

The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, said he was deeply saddened by the quake and would pray for the victims.

He is branded a "separatist" by Beijing.

"Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, people in disaster areas will certainly be able to overcome the catastrophe and rebuild their homes," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"We are well aware of the Dalai Lama's divisive nature and political designs, and we remain on high alert."

The quake followed a northward compression of the Indian plate, state media said on Thursday citing the China Earthquake Networks Centre. The plate, which collided with the Eurasian plate some 50 million years ago, continues to move 5 cm (1.97 inches) north-east each year.

Tuesday's temblor was so strong part of the terrain around the epicentre slipped as much as 1.6 metres (5 feet 3 inches) over a distance of 80 km (50 miles), according to a United States Geological Survey analysis.

Reconstruction

Gyaltsen Norbu, the Panchen Lama and second to the Dalai Lama in spiritual authority, chanted prayers with around 900 monks on Wednesday at Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, according to Xinhua.

Norbu, identified by Beijing in 1995 as the 11th Panchen Lama but not recognised by the Dalai Lama, has also made a donation to quake relief efforts, Xinhua reported.

China's post-disaster response has been swift, with 11,000 rescuers deployed to the quake zone within hours of the first tremors. There have been more than 1,000 aftershocks.

Zhang Guoping, a vice premier, has led the quake-relief effort visiting the most severely affected areas.

Reconstruction must be accelerated to ensure the displaced can move into safe and warm homes as soon as possible, Xinhua cited Zhang as saying on Wednesday.

Around 46,500 people affected by the earthquake have been transferred to 187 resettlement sites in towns surrounding the epicentre in Tingri, state media said.

Rescue personnel have begun erecting prefabricated houses to replace the tents for the displaced, CCTV reported. About 1,000 of the earthquake proof and heated houses are being sent to Tingri and can be erected in about 10 minutes.

The last comparable earthquake that struck the region was in November 2017 when a magnitude 6.9 temblor hit Mainling in the east, the strongest to shake southern Tibet since 1950.

The Mainling quake triggered more than 300 aftershocks, affecting over 12,000 people and damaging nearly 3,000 houses. Three people were hurt.