Tents arrive for survivors of a quake that killed 126 in freezing, high-altitude Tibet

BEIJING (AP) — Relief teams in western China shifted their focus to resettling survivors after a search Wednesday for any remaining victims of a deadly earthquake that struck a day earlier near a holy city for Tibetan Buddhists.

Tents, quilts, stoves and other relief items were being delivered to people whose homes were uninhabitable or unsafe. State media said that more than 46,000 people had been relocated following the quake, which killed 126 and injured 188 others.

Tibetans, many of whom have fled persecution in China, held vigils for the victims in neighboring India and Nepal, both of which have sizeable communities.

The earthquake struck an outlying county in Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

It was not immediately known whether he was in his Tashi Lhunpo Monastery at the time. The epicenter was about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the main part of the city, which is called Xigaze in Chinese and sprawls across a high altitude plain.

More than 500 aftershocks were recorded after Tuesday's earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey said measured magnitude 7.1. China’s earthquake center recorded a magnitude of 6.8.

The epicenter was about 75 kilometers (50 miles) from Mount Everest and the border with Nepal, where the shaking sent people running out of their homes. Earthquakes in China happen most frequently on the Tibetan Plateau or its fringes.

About 200 Tibetans lit candles and marched on the two main streets of Dharamshala, India, chanting prayers and carrying signs saying they stand with the victims and calling for aid to help them. The city in the hills of northern India is home to the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s highest figure. He fled Tibet in 1959 during an uprising against Chinese rule, which was seen as eroding the region's Buddhist culture.

In the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, about 50 Tibetans chanted prayers at a Buddhist monastery. “We are praying for the souls of the so many people who lost their lives in Tibet because of the earthquake yesterday,” said Riya Tamang, who runs a shop.

The Chinese government and followers of the Dalai Lama have feuded over who should hold the position of Panchen Lama since a boy appointed by the Dalai Lama disappeared in the mid-1990s and a Chinese-backed candidate was approved for the position. The Dalai Lama has refused to recognize the current Panchen Lama.

An announcement on the Dalai Lama’s website said he would lead a prayer ceremony in memory of the victims on Thursday in Dharamshala.

“We are very clear about the separatist nature and political schemes of the Dalai Lama and remain highly vigilant,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said when asked about the prayer ceremony.

He expressed confidence that the earthquake-affected population would be able to rebuild under “the strong leadership” of China's ruling Communist Party.

State broadcaster CCTV aired video showing workers erecting rows of tents with metal frames and stakes to house survivors. The tents were lined with quilted padding to hold back the cold in a region with an average altitude of about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet) and where temperatures fall well below freezing overnight.

Hong Li, the director of Tibet’s Emergency Management Department, told a late Wednesday afternoon news conference that the work had shifted from search and rescue to resettlement and reconstruction.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, who visited survivors, called for the acceleration of post-disaster reconstruction to ensure they can be safe and warm this winter, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Earlier in the day, CCTV video showed rescuers in orange uniforms clambering up huge chunks of debris with sniffing search dogs. Blue disaster tents with bright red Chinese flags flapping in the wind had been set up near rows of houses that had been reduced to rubble.

Tsering Phuntsog, the Communist Party chief of Gurum village, told Xinhua on Tuesday that at least 22 of its 222 residents had perished. The victims included his 74-year-old mother.

“Even young people couldn’t run out of the houses when the earthquake hit, let alone old people and children,” the local leader said.

A preliminary survey found that more than 3,600 houses had collapsed, Xinhua said, citing the Shigatse government.

Tibet is generally closed to foreign journalists over reports about the ill treatment of the population by Chinese authorities.

Bodeen reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Associated Press journalists Ashwini Bhatia in Dharamshala, India, and Binaj Gurubacharya in Kathmandu, Nepal, contributed to this report.

A Tibetan woman offers a prayer in the remembrance of those who lost their lives in the recent earthquake, at a Tibetan camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A Tibetan woman offers a prayer in the remembrance of those who lost their lives in the recent earthquake, at a Tibetan camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A Tibetan woman lights a butter lamp and offers a prayer in the remembrance of those who lost their lives in the recent earthquake, at a Tibetan camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A Tibetan woman offers a prayer in the remembrance of those who lost their lives in the recent earthquake, at a Tibetan camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, first responders perform rescue work at a village in Changsuo Township of Dingri County in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 7, 2025 (Hu Zikui/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers conduct search and rescue for survivors in the aftermath of an earthquake in Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Liu Yousheng/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers conduct search and rescue for survivors in the aftermath of an earthquake in Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Jigme Dorje/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, medical workers treat injured people at the temporary tents set up at the People's Hospital in the aftermath of an earthquake in Dingri County in Xigaze, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Ding Ting/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers check on an injured resident in the aftermath of an earthquake in Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Liu Yousheng/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers transfer the injured at Zhacun Village of Dingri County in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Tuesday Jan. 7, 2025. (Xinhua via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wildfires that ripped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles forced many Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, to evacuate their homes.

California firefighters are battling wind-whipped fires tearing across the area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood is a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.” In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.

“Evacuated Malibu so last minute,” wrote Hamill in an Instagram post Tuesday night. “Small fires on both sides of the road as we approached (the Pacific Coast Highway).”

Stars who have homes in the area include Adam Sandler, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

Officials didn’t give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat.

The fire burned down Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking area surrounded by dense neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes. Flames jumped famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”

Woods posted footage Tuesday of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his home. The towering orange flames billowed among the landscaped yards between the homes.

“Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in the short video on X. Later, he added: “It tests your soul, losing everything at once, I must say.”

Mandy Moore wrote early morning on Instagram, “Evacuated and safe with kids, dogs and cats. Praying and grateful for the first responders."

Film studios canceled two movie premieres due to the fire and windy weather, and the Los Angeles Unified School District said it temporarily relocated students from three campuses in the Pacific Palisades area.

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)