More than 45,000 people moved after Tibet earthquake as search called off
Forty-eight hours after the quake, experts say those trapped under the rubble are likely to have succumbed to hypothermia
09 January 2025 - 14:50
byJoe Cash and Ryan Woo
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Damaged buildings stand in the aftermath of the earthquake in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China in this screengrab obtained from a video released on January 9 2025. Picture: Tibet Military District of the People's Liberation Army/Handout via REUTERS
Beijing — Authorities moved more than 45,000 people in earthquake-hit Tibet to shelters in a huge 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 about 80km north of Mount Everest.
The earthquake 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 4,000m.
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 °C at night.
An initial tally on Tuesday night showed at least 126 people had been killed and 188 injured, according to Chinese state media. It remained unchanged by Thursday.
Rescue operations have focused on 27 villages within a 20km 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 about 50-million years ago, continues to move 5cm northeast each year.
Tuesday’s earthquake was so strong, part of the terrain around the epicentre slipped as much as 1.6m over a distance of 80km, according to a US Geological Survey analysis.
Gyaltsen Norbu, the Panchen Lama and second to the Dalai Lama in spiritual authority, chanted prayers with about 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 postdisaster 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.
About 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 earthquake hit Mainling in the east, the strongest to shake southern Tibet since 1950.
The Mainling quake triggered more than 300 aftershocks, affecting more than 12,000 people and damaging nearly 3,000 houses. Three people were hurt.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
More than 45,000 people moved after Tibet earthquake as search called off
Forty-eight hours after the quake, experts say those trapped under the rubble are likely to have succumbed to hypothermia
Beijing — Authorities moved more than 45,000 people in earthquake-hit Tibet to shelters in a huge 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 about 80km north of Mount Everest.
The earthquake 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 4,000m.
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 °C at night.
An initial tally on Tuesday night showed at least 126 people had been killed and 188 injured, according to Chinese state media. It remained unchanged by Thursday.
Rescue operations have focused on 27 villages within a 20km 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 about 50-million years ago, continues to move 5cm northeast each year.
Tuesday’s earthquake was so strong, part of the terrain around the epicentre slipped as much as 1.6m over a distance of 80km, according to a US Geological Survey analysis.
Gyaltsen Norbu, the Panchen Lama and second to the Dalai Lama in spiritual authority, chanted prayers with about 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 postdisaster 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.
About 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 earthquake hit Mainling in the east, the strongest to shake southern Tibet since 1950.
The Mainling quake triggered more than 300 aftershocks, affecting more than 12,000 people and damaging nearly 3,000 houses. Three people were hurt.
Reuters
Scores killed, houses collapse as earthquake rocks Tibet
Urgency mounts in search for survivors of powerful Tibet earthquake
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