Rescue personnel and relief supplies are rushing at full speed from across China to southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region following a deadly earthquake on Tuesday.
The 6.8-magnitude quake struck Dingri County in Xigaze City on Tuesday morning, claiming at least 126 lives, injuring 188 others, and causing the collapse of more than 3,600 houses.
In the past two days, more than 10,000 rescuers, including PLA soldiers, firefighters, police and social emergency rescue forces, have carried out search and rescue operations in the area near the quake's epicenter, and have rescued a total of 407 trapped people.
Medical workers are also heading to Xizang from across the country, carrying urgently needed medicine and equipment.
Zhu Wei, leader of the National Emergency Medical Rescue Team who arrived in Lhasa on Wednesday, said that the high altitude, cold weather and lack of oxygen made the rescue work more difficult. The five team members who arrived in Xizang first brought medical supplies for injured residents, as well as medicine for the rescuers.
"Our team members are mainly from surgical departments, including orthopedic, neurosurgery, emergency, and anesthesia first aid, which is suitable for the treatment of injured people at this stage. We also prepared these emergency medicines in consideration of the high altitude sickness and the low temperature," Zhu said.
The China Anneng rescue team from southwest China's Sichuan Province said that an advance team of more than 50 people had arrived in Xigaze on Tuesday, and more than 100 people are moving on in batches with rescue equipment such as life detectors, laser displacement radars, and portable drones.
On the road from Lhasa to the earthquake-stricken Xigaze City, many trucks were seen transporting supplies towards the quake zone.
At around 21:00 on Wednesday, many trucks stopped at a small restaurant on the roadside in Xigaze. Drivers who had been on the road all day came here to have a hot meal and take a short break.
"I went there yesterday and again today to deliver mineral water [to the earthquake-stricken areas]. Many restaurants along the way are closed now," said a truck driver.
"They are all rushing to Dingri and Lazi counties. When they come in, I cook for them as quickly as possible as they have to leave in a hurry. They can eat as much rice as they want with the order of one dish, and there is no extra charge. This stove is used for heating, so that it can be warmer when everyone comes here," said the owner of the restaurant.
Personnel, supplies from across country rush towards quake-hit areas of Xizang
Heavy snow hit several cities in northwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region and southwest China's Guizhou and Yunnan provinces from Wednesday to Thursday, disrupting traffic and prompting emergency response measures.
Starting from Wednesday, many areas in Xinjiang have seen heavy snow or blizzard.
In Emin County, Tacheng Prefecture, local traffic police department increased police presence on key road sections to direct vehicles to pass in an orderly manner to prevent traffic jams and accidents. The sanitation department of Wusu City of Tacheng Prefecture, dispatched 116 snowplows to remove snow on urban streets as soon as it fell, and spread snow-melting agents in time to ensure the safety of travelers.
In Nilka County of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, the snow depth in the mountainous areas reached up to 12 cm, and the lowest temperature dropped below minus 20 degrees Celsius. In a village there, 95 percent of the grasslands were covered with snow, and village officials organized herders to drive livestock into the sheds for warmth and food.
"We have paid close attention to weather changes, guided herders in the area to keep the breeding pens warm, store forage in advance and take care of the cubs. We have 7,000 tonnes of forage in stock," said Rehan Zakr, deputy director of the local villagers committee.
On Wednesday, 60 counties in Guizhou Province experienced continuous snowfall and freezing weather, resulting in traffic disruptions and ice accumulation on power lines in some areas.
In Shuicheng County, due to the temporary closure of a toll station, many vehicles were stranded outside the entrance. Relevant departments promptly dispatched a response team and provided food and hot water to the stranded drivers and passengers.
"Between 22:00 and 23:00 last night, it was snowing so heavily that the highway was closed and we couldn't drive any further. So we stayed here for the night. They sent us water, instant noodles and other food. We feel their care," said Sun Hua, a truck driver.
As of 16:00 Thursday, the number of highway, as well as national and provincial road sections under traffic control due to snow and ice had been reduced from 41 to 5 in Guizhou.
In Bijie City, a 110 kV high-voltage line at an altitude of 2,280 meters that supplies electricity to more than 80,000 households was severely covered with ice on Wednesday. The local power supply company quickly responded and after 40 minutes of operation, the ice on the line fell off one after another, and the power supply was not affected.
Meanwhile Huize County of Qujing City in Yunnan Province experienced light to moderate snowfall from Wednesday to Thursday. The snow depth in the county's urban area reached six centimeters at around 22:00 Wednesday.
Local authorities activated the emergency plan for severe weather and multiple departments collaborated to remove ice and snow on road surface. With these efforts, the Huize section of the Yinchuan-Kunming Expressway has resumed traffic since Friday morning.
Efforts underway across China to minimize disruptions caused by snow
