Death Toll Climbs To 126 In Tibet Earthquake, Thousands Of Homes Destroyed

An earthquake struck Tibet on January 8, causing widespread destruction. This quake also reached parts of Nepal and has killed at least 126 people with more than 1,000 severely damaged houses. Operations are still in progress to rescue survivors as workers crawl through the wreckage.

The western part of China has experienced an earthquake, which struck at a high altitude in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The quake hit extremely hard, with the remote and sparsely populated areas the most affected; hundreds of homes were destroyed. The Ministry of Emergency Management has posted videos that clearly show the rubble covering streets and homes that were reduced to rubble.

Rescue workers have been digging tirelessly through the debris, using ladders and other tools to locate survivors. The powerful tremors not only caused buildings to collapse but also left many people trapped under the rubble. In some villages, rescue teams are seen carrying survivors to safety on stretchers, navigating through the destruction in challenging conditions.

Aftershocks Continue To Shake The Region

As of the last update, 188 people were injured in Tibet. The death toll is likely to increase as the rescue teams continue to reach distant places. State broadcaster CCTV has reported that more than 1,000 homes were damaged in the region. Rubble-strewn streets and crushed vehicles bear testimony to the scale of the destruction. The region continues to be shaken by aftershocks.

Even after the earthquake, the area is still suffering from numerous aftershocks. According to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake registered 7.1 on the Richter scale and had an approximate depth of 10 km (6 miles).

Shallow earthquakes are supposed to cause massive destruction, which was indeed witnessed in this instance. More than 150 aftershocks had been recorded during the first nine hours following the earthquake.

Alongside the damage incurred on the side of China, the tremors were severe along the border region of Nepal. The citizens, especially from northern Nepal near the epicentre suffered intense shakes of the ground. While no instantaneous reports came for casualties and destroyed structures, however, people had to rush on roads in streets even in Kathmandu, that is the national capital.

Emergency Response and Rescue Operations

Immediately following the quake, China conducted massive-scale rescue missions. As many as 3,000 rescue teams were moved into affected zones for search operations and the aid of survivors. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing was despatched to take stock of relief measures being initiated at ground level; disaster relief will also get an impetus through an amount of 100 million yuan or USD 13.6 million earmarked for disaster relief.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for urgent and coordinated efforts to rescue people, minimize further casualties, and provide support for those whose homes were destroyed. The deployment of resources aims to mitigate the devastation and help rebuild the affected communities.

Region Prone To Earthquakes

Tibet is located in a seismically active region where the India and Eurasia tectonic plates meet, which makes it susceptible to earthquakes. This region has experienced several major quakes over the past century, and Tuesday’s was just the latest in a series of seismic events. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, at least 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher have occurred in this region over the past 100 years.

The earthquake epicenter was in Tingri county, close to the border with Nepal. In this Himalayan region, very high mountains tower above, including the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. The mountain range is considered seismically active due to the continued tectonic collisions.

In the midst of the disaster situation, relief and rescue are directed by the local government as its priority towards affected people. Chinese reports indicate that within a radius of 20 km from the center of the quake, approximately 6,900 people are reported to be staying in the three townships and 27 villages. Because of the rugged climatic condition the average height being 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), rescuing becomes tougher here.

In Tibet, the earthquake occurred at the time when the region was at the depth of winter. It makes the situation even worse because of plummeting temperatures and heavily damaged infrastructure. Humanitarian aid has become a more urgent need now.

Nepal Remains On High Alert

While no reported casualties have been attributed to the earthquake in Nepal, tremors were severely felt in the capital city of Kathmandu and surrounding areas. Minor disruption occurred in a video where water spills onto the streets from a courtyard pond. The quake has left no reported structural damage. However, people are still on their toes because the aftershocks are continuously razing the region.

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