11th Panchen Lama leads mass prayer for victims

Followers line roads, throwing scarves, hoping to receive blessings

YUSHU, Qinghai - The 11th Panchen Lama, one of the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism, on Saturday led more than 700 Tibetan monks at Taer Monastery, Qinghai province, in prayer for victims of a devastating earthquake in the province's Yushu region last month.

At the Taer Monastery, he prayed to guide the souls of those who died in the earthquake and to encourage the survivors to overcome hardships caused by the disaster and to rebuild their hometown.