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.

Exiled Tibetans participate in a candlelit vigil in Dharamshala, India, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in solidarity with the victims of an earthquake that hit a high-altitude Tibet region in western China on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Exiled Tibetans participate in a candlelit vigil in Dharamshala, India, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in solidarity with the victims of an earthquake that hit a high-altitude Tibet region in western China on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Exiled Tibetans participate in a candlelit vigil in Dharamshala, India, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in solidarity with the victims of an earthquake that hit a high-altitude Tibet region in western China on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, medical workers transfer an injured resident to the emergency room in the aftermath of an earthquake at the Xigaze People's Hospital in Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Wednesday Jan. 8, 2025. (Tenzin Nyida/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, medical workers attend to an injured child in the aftermath of an earthquake at the Xigaze People's Hospital in Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Wednesday Jan. 8, 2025. (Tenzin Nyida/Xinhua via AP)

Tibetan people gather to offer prayers in 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 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)

The tip of Michigan's mitten struggled through another day without electricity Tuesday as restless residents tried to stay warm while utilities scrambled to restore power in a region waylaid by weekend freezing rain that brought down countless trees and poles.

Schools in several counties were closed again at the top of the Lower Peninsula. Sheriff's deputies armed with chain saws cleared roads and were even delivering oxygen for the homebound. Drivers idled their vehicles in gas station lines that were blocks long.

Northern Michigan lives with crazy weather — Gaylord got 199 inches (5 meters) of snow this winter — but this wave is much different.

“It's an ice situation. The trees and power lines are loaded, literally,” Charlevoix County Sheriff Chuck Vondra said. "Everything is caving in."

More than 170,000 power outages were reported statewide Tuesday night in Michigan, according to poweroutage.us, down from 300,000-plus earlier in the week. But in some areas, entire communities have been without electricity since Saturday.

The Cheboygan County sheriff said residents should consider leaving town if they have another place to stay. Running on generators, Petoskey City Hall and part of Odawa Casino were turned into 24-hour havens for people to warm up and charge phones. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was sending the Michigan National Guard to help with restoration efforts.

“The challenge is the debris, impassable roads, and hundreds of downed poles. Each pole takes hours to replace,” said Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, one of many utilities in the region

Petra Tank, 32, of Petoskey said she finally decided to drive 25 miles (40 kilometers) to a friend's home for warmth and a shower Monday.

“I realized, ‘Oh, this is a big deal. We’re not going to be back at work this week,’” said Tank, who has a tailor shop.

“We've been sitting ducks for three days without power, and the morale is officially starting to lower because our homes are only getting colder. … It's just kind of free-for-all,” she told The Associated Press.

The Alpena News in Alpena couldn't publish a newspaper Monday or Tuesday, but it planned to finally have a print edition Wednesday. Managing Editor Torianna Marasco said she posted stories online by traveling outside the area for internet access.

The Mackinac Bridge, a 5-mile (8-kilometer) span connecting Michigan’s two peninsulas, has been closed at times because of thick ice falling from towers and cables.

A relief agency, Convoy of Hope, was loading trucks with food and water for a trip to northern Michigan, said Mike Way, pastor of Center Point Assembly church in Charlevoix.

“Everybody right now is on pins and needles. It's my understanding that more snow and ice are coming," Way said. ”We're not out of the woods yet."

The staff at Tom's Family Market in Onaway used flashlights to help desperate customers find food in a pinch.

“Don’t tell the governor," owner Bryan Madison told The Detroit News, "but we ain’t collecting tax.”

Associated Press writer Tammy Webber contributed to this report.

Piper Kuzel, 5, watches her father, Jesse Kuzel of Charlevoix, Mich., fill gas containers at the Ellsworth Farmers Exchange Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Ellsworth, Mich., as his family has been using heat from their home's natural gas stove to keep warm with power outages widespread following the ice storm. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Sgt. Mitch Wallin of the Emmet County Sheriff's Department walks past ice-coated trees as he and Sgt. Tyler Midyett, not pictured, clear branches from along Eppler Road in Petoskey, Mich, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as cleanup from the weekend's ice storm continues. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

A crew from 5H Irrigation and Maintenance clears downed limbs from yards in Petoskey, Mich., Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as clean up from the weekend's ice storms continues across northern lower Michigan. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

An Antrim County Road Commission crew clears branches and trees hanging near Atwood Road from ice build up Tuesday, April 1, 2025, near Ellsworth, Mich., following weekend storms that deposited as much as one inch of ice over areas of northern lower Michigan. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Sgt. Tyler Midyett of the Emmet County Sheriff's Department works along with Sgt. Mitch Wallin, not pictured, to clear fallen trees from along Eppler Road in Petoskey, Mich., Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as cleanup from the weekend's ice storm continues. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Debris and ice-covered trees cover Curtisville Road that turns into Ausable Valley River Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

This aerial view shows ice-covered trees off of Eggleston Road and Curtisville Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

This aerial view shows ice-covered trees off of Eggleston Road and Curtisville Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

Debris and ice-covered trees cover Curtisville Road that turns into Ausable Valley River Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)