Rescue efforts continue after 7.0-magnitude quake in Xizang

LHASA -- Rescue and relief efforts continue after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Drachen county of the city of Nagchu in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, local authorities said Saturday.

The earthquake, which struck at 10:33 pm on Thursday, has left 16 people dead and 76 others injured. The quake has also damaged or destroyed 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds.

As of 11 am Saturday, all 76 injured people were receiving timely medical treatment, with five of the 11 people initially classified as seriously injured having improved to a mild condition, according to the local emergency command headquarters.

Meanwhile, relief supplies and rescue personnel continue to arrive in the affected areas. As of 11 am Saturday, 52,450 items or sets of disaster relief supplies had been sent to the quake zone, while more than 2,500 rescue personnel were engaged in relief operations.

The supplies include 4,651 tents, 2,000 prefabricated houses, 11,772 folding beds, 5,715 quilts and other cold-weather necessities. A large Wing Loong unmanned aerial vehicle has also arrived at the site.

Authorities have established 35 temporary resettlement sites in the disaster zone. More than 1,600 personnel from Drachen county, 347 firefighters from the Nagchu fire and rescue detachment, and 530 police officers from the Nagchu public security bureau have been deployed, alongside vehicles and search-and-rescue dogs.

Medical treatment and public health and epidemic prevention efforts are proceeding in an orderly manner, the headquarters said.

As of 2 pm Saturday, the headquarters said 949 aftershocks had been recorded in the affected areas, including eight measuring 4.0 to 4.9 in magnitude and 33 measuring 3.0 to 3.9.

All temporary speed restrictions on the quake-hit section of the Qinghai-Xizang Railway were lifted on Friday night, according to China Railway Qinghai-Xizang Group Co Ltd. A comprehensive inspection found no abnormalities, and trains resumed normal operations, the company said.

Power supply in the quake-hit area was fully restored on Saturday night, according to the State Grid.

State Grid Xizang Electric Power Co Ltd urgently dispatched teams to the affected area for emergency power restoration after the quake, the state-owned utility said. More than 300 personnel along with vehicles, power generation facilities and emergency equipment have been deployed as of Saturday to ensure power supply for the on-site command center, provide lighting for resettlement sites and restore damaged power lines.

Local authorities said construction on the first batch of prefabricated houses in the quake-affected areas started at around 2 am Saturday. As more units arrive, residents currently staying in tents will gradually move into the better-insulated temporary housing.

"We will ensure that affected residents have safe shelter, warm clothing and bedding, hot meals and clean drinking water," said Pan Zhiqing, Party chief of the Nagchu Municipal Emergency Management Bureau.

At a hospital in Drachen's neighboring Sog county, many injured residents were sent there for treatment overnight. The hospital has arranged medical treatment and prepared hot meals and daily necessities for patients.

Early Friday morning, Norbu Wangchen, a local resident in Sog county, brought more than 100 portions of Tibetan noodles, along with Tibetan tea and tsampa, to the hospital to help those affected by the earthquake.

Help also came from the city of Shigatse, some 700 kilometers away from Drachen.

Du Guoping, who was preparing to open two new restaurants in Shigatse, postponed the openings after learning of the earthquake and headed to the disaster zone with more than 1,500 kg of dumplings.

His team set off at midnight on the night of the earthquake. After a bumpy journey, the team purchased additional supplies, including food containers and bottled water, along the way.

After arriving, Du and his staff set up cooking equipment and prepared dumplings for rescue workers and affected residents. They worked during the day, and at night, the six team members squeezed into two vehicles to rest, keeping the heating on to ward off the high-altitude chill.

With more than 500 kg of dumplings still remaining, Du said the team planned to stay for at least three days to cook all the food they brought.

Watching firefighters, medical personnel and rescue teams race against time at the disaster site left a deep impression on him.

"We feel honored to be able to contribute in our own way," he said.