Tibet earthquake: rescuers in China battling frost, altitude in bid to find survivors

A day after deadly earthquake strikes southern Tibet, more than 465,000 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters, reports say

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People still trapped under rubble from Tuesday’s earthquake in southern Tibet face a narrow window for survival, experts say. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

Published: 3:29pm, 8 Jan 2025Updated: 8:28pm, 8 Jan 2025

Search and rescue workers were battling the high altitude and frigid weather as they searched for survivors a day after a massive earthquake killed 126 people in western China’s Tibet autonomous region.

The magnitude 6.8 quake struck the county of Tingri, at the foot of Mount Everest, known as Mount Qomolangma in China, on Tuesday morning. Tibet authorities had raised the emergency response alert to level one, the highest in a four-tiered system, as rescuers, medical staff and relief supplies arrived at the site.

President Xi Jinping had issued instructions to search and rescue teams for “all efforts”.

On Tuesday, Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing led a team to Tingri, telling local authorities to make checks door-to-door, and stressed efforts to resettle survivors, monitor aftershocks and other potential geological disasters.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday expressed condolences to the earthquake victims, extending sympathies to the families and others affected by the disaster. Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed condolences, adding that Russia shared the pain of those who had lost loved ones and hoped that the injured would recover soon.

The head of the United Nations, as well as the presidents of Belarus and Serbia have also sent condolences, while the embassies of Denmark, Italy, the United States and South Korea in China posted condolences on WeChat.