Relief efforts are continuing following Tuesday's deadly earthquake in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, with prefabricated houses being set up at resettlement sites to shelter displaced residents while more specialist rescue and medical teams continue to arrive at the affected areas.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County of Xigaze on Tuesday morning, with at least 126 people confirmed to have lost their lives and 188 others injured, while over 3,600 homes have collapsed.
In the badly-hit Gurong Village of Dingri, the first batch of 34 prefabricated houses have been delivered to a resettlement site, with these temporary buildings being erected to house affected residents.
The situation has been complicated by large temperature fluctuations, with overnight temperatures in some areas reportedly falling as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius, while ongoing tremors are also being experienced in the region, with over 1,000 aftershocks being felt in the wake of Tuesday's quake.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Emergency Management has mobilized rescue teams to support the disaster-stricken areas. Currently, six teams from some state-owned enterprises, comprising 629 personnel and 241 machines, are engaging in rescue operations in the affected areas.
In addition, a national tunneling rescue team of 21 members and the first batch of five specialist personnel from an emergency medical rescue team have also arrived to provide assistance to injured victims in the disaster area.
The ministry also deployed a Wing Loong-2 large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on Wednesday to ensure communication and carry out disaster reconnaissance.
Furthermore, two Mi-171 transport helicopters have also been dispatched to Xigaze's Lhatse County to support the ongoing rescue efforts.
Temporary housing set up in quake-hit Xizang as relief work continues
The officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Armed Police Force have been working round-the-clock to provide hot meals, warm materials and other supplies to residents affected by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Xigaze in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
The quake struck Dingri County in Xigaze at 09:05 on Tuesday morning, causing at least 126 fatalities and 188 injuries and leading to the collapse of over 3,600 houses.
The officers and soldiers of the Xigaze Detachment of the People's Armed Police Force Xizang Contingent rushed to the disaster area, used the field catering equipment and worked tireless for 16 hours in a row to provide hot meals to more than 1,300 villagers and nearly 700 rescuers in three relocation sites.
"We really want to thank them sincerely. We don't know what to do without them. They have been with us from yesterday to today. They worked very hard," said relocated residents Tenzin Sazin and Tsering Lhamo.
The soldiers hadn't slept all night and prepared and distributed two rounds of hot meals to the villagers as of Wednesday afternoon. With the new arrival of supplies, they started a new round of busyness.
"The temperature in the epicenter has been very cold in the past few days. We have purchased 15 insulated barrels to ensure that the hot meals are immediately delivered to the hands of our people, so that they can stay comfortably and safely here," said Li Guisheng from the Xigaze Detachment of the Armed Police.
After the earthquake, the officers and soldiers from the PLA quickly raised supplies, built tents for the affected people, and provided bedding and other warm facilities. In the early morning of Thursday, another batch of supplies, including 100 camp beds, 100 inflatable mattresses and 100 military heaters were delivered to the disaster area.
"Compared with traditional heaters used locally, the multifunctional heating stove has more functions and more heating methods. It can burn diesel and has a higher heat dissipation coefficient, which is convenient for distribution so that the disaster-stricken people can survive the severe cold," said Xu Yongqiang from an automobile transportation brigade of the PLA Xizang Military Command.
PLA, armed police strive to provide hot food, warm materials for quake-affected residents
