The People's Liberation Army (PLA), People's Armed Police Force, and reserve military have been sparing no efforts in searching and rescuing survivors after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri County in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday morning. Command personnel from the PLA Western Theater Command arrived at the Dingri Airport aboard the domestically developed Y-20 transport aircraft at around 17:00.
The Y-20, with a maximum takeoff weight of around 200 tonnes, is well-suited for transporting cargo and personnel over long distances.
The PLA's Xizang Military Comand dispatched three medical teams with 70 medics to the quake-hit county, carrying emergency medicines and medical equipment.
A total of 143 tents, 49 sets of heating equipment, 18 generators, and 227 folding beds have been allocated to ensure that survivors can spend the nights warmly. The People's Armed Police Force Xizang Contingent have deployed nearly 600 officers and soldiers to the worst-hit areas of Dingri for rescue. So far, the armed police officers have resettled more than 120 residents, freed 32 buried people, and provided medical treatment to 12 people. "We immediately started earthquake relief and rescue work after arriving at the epicenter. Now we have preliminarily completed the transfer of the affected people and the injured. For the next step, we will spare no effort in searching and rescuing survivors, and providing medical treatment to the injured people. We will set up tents, and ensure hot food supply and medical services, so that residents here can safely spend the first night after the earthquake on such a cold plateau," said Chen Li, a PLA officer.
The PLA's Xizang Military Comand has deployed a second batch of over 800 emergency rescuers. In addition, more than 2,200 professional rescuers like sappers and chemical defense soldiers are on standby to provide reinforcements.
Six helicopters are also on standby for the follow-up rescue.
The earthquake hit Dingri County in the city of Xigaze at 09:05 on Tuesday, with the epicenter located in Tsogo Township of Dingri. A total of 95 people had been confirmed dead and 130 others injured as of 15:00 Tuesday.
Chinese military, armed police rescuers rush to quake-hit areas in Xizang
China's railway network is expected to manage more than 510 million passenger trips during the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush, according to an official on Wednesday.
At a press conference in Beijing, officials from several departments briefed the overall situation and work arrangement of the 40-day travel rush, which runs from Jan. 14 to Feb. 22 this year.
The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", is a period of high transportation demand coinciding with China's largest annual holiday, the Spring Festival, a time where many people head home for family reunions while celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan 29 this year.
Zhu Wenzhong, deputy director of China State Railway Group's passenger transport department, said that the number of passengers by train will grow steadily, and is expected to exceed 510 million, with an average of 12.75 million per day, an increase of 5.5 percent from 2024.
The railway system is going to tap on the transportation potential and maximize passenger transportation capacity.
"We will focus on increasing the transport capacity in places with concentrated passenger flows during the Spring Festival travel rush, make overall arrangements for trains in less busier sections, maintain the scale of trains running at normal speeds, as well as continue opening non-profit 'slow trains' and those for rural revitalization, so as to facilitate people's travel. More than 14,000 passenger trains will be arranged daily, with the addition of around 500,000 seats every day. The seating capacity can increase by about four percent year on year, so as to meet the traveling needs of passengers to the best of our capacity," said Zhu.
The railway departments will take measures to ensure the ticketing needs of passengers, especially key groups such as university students and migrant workers. Main railway stations across the country will set up fast lanes, mother-and-baby waiting rooms and medical aid posts.
Moreover, the authorities will also prioritize the transportation of coal used for power generation and heating, along with key supplies like daily necessities, grains and other farm produce, as well as fertilizers.
Inspection and maintenance on key rail equipment have also been conducted in advance, so as to ensure the orderly and smooth railway operation during the Spring Festival travel rush.
China’s railway to handle 510 million passenger trips in 2025 Spring Festival travel rush
