BEIJING. More than 400 individuals trapped under rubble have been rescued following a powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Tibet’s Tingri County on Tuesday, Chinese authorities reported. The disaster has left at least 126 people dead and 188 injured, with an unknown number still unaccounted for.
The earthquake, one of the most severe in the region in recent years, rocked the Himalayan foothills and caused widespread destruction. Its epicenter was located approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Mount Everest, impacting neighboring countries Nepal, Bhutan, and India.
The United States Geological Survey revealed that the tremor caused parts of the terrain around the epicenter to shift by as much as 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) over an 80-kilometer stretch. According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, the quake’s force also triggered hundreds of aftershocks, with magnitudes reaching up to 4.4.
Rescue efforts are in a race against time as sub-zero temperatures in the high-altitude region threaten the lives of survivors still trapped. Overnight, temperatures plummeted to as low as -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit). Experts warn that individuals exposed to such conditions risk rapid hypothermia and may survive only five to ten hours without immediate assistance.
The destruction has been particularly severe in Tibet. Early assessments revealed that 3,609 homes were destroyed in Shigatse, a region home to 800,000 people. Footage aired on state broadcaster CCTV showed rows of blue and green tents set up to shelter those displaced.
State media reported that over 30,000 individuals have been relocated, while more than 1,800 emergency rescue personnel and 1,600 soldiers have been deployed to assist in the affected areas.
The damage was extensive in Tingri, the most populous county in Tibet and home to around 60,000 residents. Despite the widespread destruction, state media confirmed that Shigatse’s iconic Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama, was spared from damage.
Condolences poured in from around the globe, including messages from the 14th Dalai Lama, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
On the Nepali side of the border, German climber Jost Kobusch described the terrifying moment the earthquake struck. “I’m climbing Everest in the winter by myself, and… it looks like basically I’m the only mountaineer there. At the base camp, there’s nobody,” he told Reuters in a video call.
Kobusch, who was above Everest’s base camp at the time, said his tent shook violently, and he witnessed avalanches crashing down nearby. Fortunately, he escaped unscathed and has since begun his descent to Kathmandu.
The disaster has reignited concerns about the region’s vulnerability to earthquakes, which result from the ongoing collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Over the past five years, 29 earthquakes with magnitudes of 3.0 or higher have been recorded within 200 kilometers of Tuesday’s epicenter.
China has faced devastating earthquakes in the past, including the 8.0-magnitude Sichuan earthquake in 2008 that claimed at least 70,000 lives and the catastrophic 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed over 240,000 people.
As rescue operations continue, the true extent of Tuesday’s disaster is yet to be fully realized, leaving affected communities in Tibet and surrounding regions grappling with the aftermath.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
